ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Ukraine

Edward Leigh: To ask the Attorney-General whether he has given advice to the Government on whether the removal of President Yanukovich was in accord with the provisions of Article III of the Constitution of Ukraine.

Oliver Heald: By long-standing convention, observed by successive Administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, the fact that the Law Officers may or may not have advised or have been requested to advise on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside Government.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, 
	(1)  what progress his Department has made in (a) developing a clearing house for professional and business services higher apprenticeship applicants and (b) helping small and medium-sized enterprises access this talent pool;
	(2)  what progress his Department has made in establishing the effect of school reporting metrics on the prestige of higher apprenticeships as a destination;
	(3)  what progress his Department has made in increasing the diversity of entry to the professional and business services sector;
	(4)  what progress his Department has made in increasing the number of higher apprenticeships in the professional and business services sector;
	(5)  what web-based initiatives have been set up to link professional and business services businesses with the education sector;
	(6)  what progress his Department has made in piloting new approaches to improving business and skills system engagement and sharing of good practice;
	(7)  how many further education colleges have engaged with business as a condition of achieving chartered status;
	(8)  what progress his Department has made in encouraging bodies to find innovative ways of improving employability of young people within the national curriculum.

Matthew Hancock: These questions ask about a number of actions related to skills development from “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services”, published in July 2013 as part of Government’s industrial strategy. The strategy was developed in collaboration with the professional and business services sector, focusing on the industry’s agenda for long term growth. It is led by the Professional and Business Services Council.
	The strategy reflects two key business priorities in skills development. First, to expand recruitment routes into the sector, in particular higher apprenticeships, to access a wider, more diverse talent pool. Second, to help businesses engage with the education system to raise aspirations and promote work readiness. A business-led skills taskforce for professional and business services has been established. It is developing approaches to implement the strategy and will report progress at the end of this year.
	The skills taskforce is leading work to help towards the strategy’s ambitious target to treble the number of higher apprenticeship starts across professional and business services to 10,000 over five years; and to follow progress in the interim, so that the numbers of these apprenticeships can be monitored. As a first step, the taskforce is supporting the London Professional Apprenticeship scheme, which was launched in December 2013, and is now recruiting apprentices and employers to take part. The scheme will pilot the proposal for a “clearing house” to help small firms access higher apprenticeships in professional and business services. In addition, the taskforce is backing new “trailblazer” initiatives, announced in March 2014, to develop employer-driven standards for apprenticeships in several professional and business services occupations.
	The skills taskforce is currently researching the metrics for schools’ reporting and their effect on the prestige of higher apprenticeships as initial career destinations. It will consider if more could be done to ensure higher apprenticeships have parity of esteem with higher education.
	The taskforce is also mapping current school engagement activity involving professional and business services firms with a view to identifying and sharing good practice.
	The new emphasis on wider use of higher apprenticeships across professional and business services should contribute towards a greater diversity of routes into these careers in the years to come; potentially offering opportunities to a wider pool of talent.
	The skills taskforce intends to consider how the employability of young people can be supported within the national curriculum, but believes that greater engagement between employers and young people is the best way of improving employability skills.
	My noble Friend Lord Lingfield has set up the independent Institution for Further Education to take forward work on a new chartered status quality scheme and is considering the application and assessment process for Further Education providers.
	The skills taskforce is exploring how web-based services can support engagement between firms and the education sector, including a planned digital “inspiration” tool being developed by this Department to encourage business-schools engagement.
	Further information on the implementation of “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services” is included in a progress report on industrial strategy, published on 23 April 2014:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-strategy-early-successes-and-future-priorities

Apprentices: Lancashire

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of higher apprenticeships in Lancashire.

Matthew Hancock: Higher apprenticeship starts in Lancashire local education authority have increased from 40 in the 2009/10 academic year to 370 in 2012/13.
	The Budget announced £20 million over 2014-15 and 2015-16 for new support for employer investment in apprenticeships in England up to postgraduate level, which will provide apprentices with the technical skills that employers need. This will complement the £80 million funding over 2014-15 and 2015-16 for 20,000 more higher apprenticeships announced in the autumn statement—more than doubling current volumes.

Business: Advisory Services

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, what progress his Department has made in the development of the growth voucher scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: Since its launch in January 2014, the Growth Vouchers programme has attracted over 2,500 applications from small businesses and more than £2.5 million worth of vouchers have been distributed. Vouchers can only be spent on strategic advice in five key areas; raising finance and managing cash flow; recruiting and developing staff; improving leadership and management skills; marketing, attracting and keeping customers; and making the most of digital technology.
	We have been working closely with the Professional and Business Services sector and so far over 2,700 private sector business support providers offer their services through a new online marketplace (run by Enterprise Nation), of which over 1,000 are approved to deliver advice under the Growth Vouchers programme.
	Providers interested in offering their services should register at:
	marketplace.enterprisenation.com/marketplaces/users/new
	Businesses wishing to apply should visit:
	www.gov.uk/apply-growth-vouchers

Cheshire Employer and Skills Development

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the evidential basis was of his decision to withdraw Government support from Cheshire Employer and Skills Development Limited (CE&SDL); what assessment he made of the performance of CE&SDL in (a) developing (i) work-based learning and (ii) any other skills, (b) encouraging apprenticeships and (c) other respects in the period (A) following its founding and (B) at the time it was required to cease its activities; and what representations his Department received for and against its decision to withdraw support.

Matthew Hancock: The Government did not withdraw funding from CE&SDL. In 2007, at the request of CE&SDL, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) transferred the contract for skills provision from CE&SDL to a successor legal entity, Total People. CE&SDL continued to operate when the contract was transferred to Total People but did not directly receive any further funding nor did it acquire funding as a subcontractor. It was dissolved as a company in April 2014. The Skills Funding Agency, as the LSC's successor, continued to fund Total People, and still does so today.
	Both the earliest and latest performance data available demonstrate a mixed picture. Prior to 2007 CE&SDL's performance was below the national average. After 2007, and the transfer of contact to Total People, performance was stronger and sometimes higher than national average.
	Neither the Government nor the Skills Funding Agency has received any representations about this organisation.

Consumers

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to improve levels of customer service in UK businesses.

Jennifer Willott: Well-functioning, competitive markets encourage growth by creating incentives for firms to become more efficient and innovative to compete for customers including through better service quality. Markets can only be fully competitive if consumers are active and confident, meaning that they are willing to challenge firms to provide a better deal, switch between suppliers and take up new products.
	That is why this Government have undertaken the most fundamental reform to the competition and consumer landscape in decades to make the UK’s already world class market framework fit for the future. That has included establishing a new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), streamlining the landscape of Government-funded consumer organisations to put Citizens Advice at its centre, and overhauling the UK framework of consumer rights through the Consumer Rights Bill.

Further Education: Greater London

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will name each further education college in Greater London.

Matthew Hancock: Further Education Colleges incorporated under section 16 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 in Greater London are as follows:
	Barking and Dagenham College
	Barnet and Southgate College
	Bexley College
	Bromley College of Further and Higher Education
	Capel Manor College
	Carshalton College
	LeSoCo
	City and Islington College
	City of Westminster College
	College of North West London
	Croydon College
	Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College
	Greenwich Community College
	Hackney Community College
	Harrow College
	Havering College of Further and Higher Education
	Kensington and Chelsea College
	Kingston College
	Newham College of Further Education
	Redbridge College
	Richmond Adult and Community College
	Richmond upon Thames College
	South Thames College
	Stanmore College
	The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London
	Tower Hamlets College
	Uxbridge College
	Waltham Forest College
	West Thames College
	Westminster Kingsway College
	Further Education Colleges Designated under section 28 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 in Greater London:
	Hillcroft College
	Marine Society College of the Sea
	Morley College
	Workers' Educational Association

Higher Education

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what appeals process is in place for alternative providers which unsuccessfully applied to have courses designated under the new specific course designation arrangements; and whether any alternative providers have successfully so appealed.

David Willetts: Applications for specific designation under the new specific designation arrangements are decided by the Secretary of State. There is no appeals process.

Industrial Strategy Sector Councils

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many times the Industrial Strategy Sector Council for Aerospace has met since it was formed;
	(2)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for construction has met since it was formed;
	(3)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for the nuclear industry has met since it was formed;
	(4)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for the information economy has met since it was formed;
	(5)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for oil and gas has met since it was formed;
	(6)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for the automotive industry has met since it was formed;
	(7)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for life sciences has met since it was formed;
	(8)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for professional and business services has met since it was formed;
	(9)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for offshore wind has met since it was formed;
	(10)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for international education has met since it was formed;
	(11)  how many times the industrial strategy sector council for agricultural technologies has met since it was formed;
	(12)  if he will publish the minutes of all meetings held by his Department’s industrial strategy sector councils since they were formed;
	(13)  how many times (a) he or (b) Ministers in his Department attended a meeting of one of the industrial strategy sector councils since they were formed;
	(14)  if he will publish the membership of each of his Department’s industrial strategy sector councils.

Michael Fallon: The Government have worked with industry to establish councils (where they did not already exist) for each of the 11 sectors. Each council is a partnership that brings together industry representatives, Ministers and Government officials, but they operate in a way that best suits the individual needs of the sector. It is for each council to determine whether the membership and the minutes of meetings are published.
	The International Education Council has met twice since it was formed. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Universities and Science co-chaired the meeting in September 2013 with my hon. Friend the Minister for Skills and Enterprise also in attendance. The Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise co-chaired the meeting in February 2014. The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/international-education-council
	The Construction Council has met three times since its formation. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has attended every meeting and I also attended the first. The membership for the council is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210099/bis-13-955-construction-2025-industrial-strategy.pdf
	The Offshore Wind Industry Council has met three times and I attended on each occasion. The membership and minutes are available at:
	http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/energy-infrastructure/offshore-wind-energy/working-with-us/offshore-wind-industry-council/
	The Life Sciences Sector Councils includes the Ministerial Industry Strategy Group (MISG) and the Ministerial Medical Technology Strategy Group (MMTSG). These groups have been in operation for many years. However, following the launch of the industrial strategy in September 2012, the groups have both met three times. The Minister of State for Universities and Science and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality, my right hon. and noble Friend (Earl Howe), have attended each meeting but there has also been attendance from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, my noble Friend (Lord Deighton), on occasions. The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ministerial-industry-strategy-group
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/ministerial-medical-technology-strategy-group
	The Nuclear Industry Council has met four times and has been attended by at least one Minister on each occasion (including the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and myself). The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/nuclear-industry-council#membership
	The Information Economy Council has met four times. The Minister of State for Universities and Science has attended three of these meetings and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), chaired the fourth meeting in his absence. The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.techuk.org/about/information-economy-council/leadership
	The Oil and Gas Council has met four times with ministerial attendance from either the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills or myself at each meeting. The membership and minutes are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/175480/bis-13-748-uk-oil-and-gas-industrial-strategy.pdf
	The Agri-tech Council has met four times and has also held a telephone conference. There has been ministerial attendance from both the Minister of State for Universities and Science and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science, my noble Friend (Lord De Mauley) at three of the meetings and attendance from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science at the fourth. The council’s membership is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/227259/9643-BIS-UK_Agri_Tech_Strategy_Accessible.pdf
	The Professional and Business Services Council has met six times since it was formed in December 2012. On each occasion, at least one BIS Minister (the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, myself and/or the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my noble Friend (Viscount Younger of Leckie)) attended. The council’s membership is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211842/bis-13-922-growth-is-our-business-professional-and-business-services-strategy.pdf
	The Aerospace Growth Partnership has met seven times since it was formed in 2011 with each meeting co-chaired by myself.
	The Automotive Council has met on five occasions since the launch of industrial strategy. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has attended each meeting and I have attended on three occasions. Membership of the council is available at:
	http://www.automotivecouncil.co.uk/what-we-do/members

National Careers Service

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 744W, on National Careers Service, what assessment his Department has made of the National Careers Service's progress in achieving its key strategic aims for marketing.

Matthew Hancock: The National Careers Service marketing strategy using targeted on-line activity has been pursued since October 2013.
	Through regular market research we have seen an increase in awareness1 of the support the National Careers Service offers since the campaign started from 24% to 29%. All of the targeted groups show a greater awareness than the remainder of those sampled:
	Awareness among individuals looking to advance their career has increased by 28% increase to 39%;
	Awareness among those who are looking for a better job to support a change in circumstances has increased by 14% to 32%;
	Awareness among those who have been or are about to be made redundant has remained broadly the same with 37% aware of the Service.
	Over 56% of these three groups are likely to use the Service, compared with only 8% of others surveyed.
	1 Both spontaneous and prompted.

Official Receiver

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many disqualification reports were submitted by each Official Receiver's office in the year ending 31 March 2014.

Jennifer Willott: Detailed in the following table is the office breakdown for the number of disqualification reports submitted in the year ended 31 March 2014.
	
		
			 OR Offices Number of reports submitted 
			 Anglia 20 
			 Central Midlands 25 
			 East Midlands and S Yorks 29 
			 Greater Manchester 13 
			 Humber and E Yorks 20 
			 Kent 9 
			 London—Essex 5 
			 London—Herts, Bucks 20 
			 Mid West and N Wales 21 
			 North 5 
			 North East 19 
			 North West 20 
			 South Central 9 
			 South Wales 26 
			 South West 7 
			 Surrey and Sussex 24 
		
	
	
		
			 West England 17 
			 Total 289 
			   
			 PIU  
			 North 71 
			 South 36 
			 Total 107

Parental Leave

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the annual (a) total cost and (b) cost per (i) female and (ii) male employee of maternity and paternity leave.

Jennifer Willott: The Government carried out an analysis of the costs and benefits of providing leave for mothers and fathers in the impact assessment which accompanied its consultation on the administration of shared parental leave which was published in February 2013. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/110692/13-651-modern-workplaces-shared-parental-leave-and-pay-impact-assessment2.pdf
	The impact assessment reflects the fact that there are costs for both the Exchequer and business associated with the taking of maternity and paternity leave. Business costs include, for example, where employers provide occupational maternity or paternity schemes which go beyond the statutory minimum, and the costs associated with recruiting staff to cover a period of absence.
	In relation to Exchequer costs, the Government collect data on the total amount of statutory paternity pay and statutory maternity pay paid to employees by employers and use this to estimate the numbers taking paternity/maternity leave and the size of average, or average weekly, claims. These figures represent the cost to the Exchequer rather than business as statutory payments can be reclaimed by the employer. The latest available figures for the costs to the Exchequer are as follows:
	
		
			 Maternity pay and maternity allowance 
			  Number of claimants commencing in year 2011/12 Total claimed (£ billion) Average claim (2010/11) (£) 
			 Maternity Pay 355,000 2.2 5,890 
			 Source: Expenditure is from employer returns to HMRC and is the average amount recovered by employers. Average claim and spells commencing is based on L2 data (a 1% sample of HMRC National Insurance Contribution records). 
		
	
	
		
			  Average number of claimants at any one time: May 2013 Total Expenditure: 2012/13 (£ million) Average weekly claim: May 2013 (£) 
			 Maternity Allowance 57,400 395 117.57 
			 Notes: 1. SMP Expenditure is subject to change due to late returns submitted by employers to HM Revenue and Customs. 2. Maternity allowance weekly amounts are the average in payment at the end of May 2013. 3. Maternity allowance claimants exclude a small number of clerical cases and only include those with a successful claim to Maternity Allowance. Source: A combination of DWP accounting data and 5% Administrative Data. Further figures on Maternity Allowance are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/maternity-allowance-quarterly-statistics 
		
	
	
		
			 Paternity pay 
			 2012/13 
			  Number of claimants Total claimed (£ million) Average claim (£) 
			 Ordinary Statutory Paternity Pay 208,600 50.3 241.25 
			 Additional Statutory Paternity Pay 3,867 5.8 1,218 
			 Note: All figures are estimates using the HMRC CANDIF database. Figures are calculated using a 2% or 3% scan of employer national insurance returns and scaling the results up to create a 100% estimate. Scan conducted in January 2014.

Paternity Leave

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will introduce financial support for individuals who have worked previously but do not qualify for statutory paternity leave and pay because they have recently started in their new position.

Jennifer Willott: The Government have no plans to introduce financial support for individuals who do not qualify for statutory paternity leave and pay because they do not have the required length of service.
	Paternity leave and pay were considered as part of a broader examination of family-related leave which led to the introduction of shared parental leave and pay through the Children and Families Act 2014.
	It is important to maintain the right balance between the needs of employees to take leave and the needs of employers to have certainty when recruiting and hiring new staff. Paternity leave and pay can be taken immediately from the birth of a child to allow the father to care for the mother and the newborn. This means that unlike annual leave, where the exact dates of the absence can be agreed in advance, paternity leave dates are subject to change.
	The 26-week service qualification period allows employers to plan effectively to cover an employee’s absence during the paternity leave period, which would not be possible if the employee had just been recruited.
	Unlike paternity leave, maternity leave is a day one right to ensure the health and well-being of both mother and baby. In order to qualify for statutory maternity pay, a mother must have 26 weeks qualifying service (the same requirements as for paternity pay). Those mothers who do not have the requisite service for statutory maternity pay may be entitled to maternity allowance. This is because the benefit system recognises pregnant women and new mothers have a specific need to protect their own health and safety, and the health of their child, by allowing them to take time off work. There is no equivalent paternity allowance or adoption allowance, as there are not equivalent health and safety reasons to do so.
	We have committed to a review of the changes to employment law enacted by the Children and Families Act after 2018.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Jennifer Willott: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Staff are encouraged to help reduce waste in the Department by avoiding printing documents unless completely necessary and by reusing or recycling stationery where appropriate. The default setting on BIS printers is to print in black and white and to print double sided. This uses less energy and ink and cuts down on the demand for paper and reduces costs.

UK Trade and Investment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, whether UK Trade & Investment has produced the marketing plan and collateral.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has developed a professional and business services marketing plan in support of the strategy, setting out marketing messaging which will be used to promote the sector at high profile events such as the Liverpool International Festival of Business in July 2014 and the Global Law summit in 2015. UKTI has produced images for use in marketing material under the GREAT campaign, is producing a promotional film and is developing a toolkit for reference and use by UKTI in the UK and overseas as an aid to promoting and supporting the sector. UKTI is working to identify case studies and develop messaging for use by stakeholders in their marketing activities.

CABINET OFFICE

Digital Government

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to promote digital government.

Nick Hurd: Online services tend to be faster, cheaper and more convenient, so we want all major Government transactions to be digital by default.
	This is not just about the opportunity to save the taxpayer over £1 billion by the end of this parliament, it is about transforming the experience that citizens have of dealing with Government.

Youth Services

Ian Mearns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to maintain the level of youth services provision.

Nick Hurd: We are supporting the voluntary sector in offering new learning opportunities for young people through programmes like NCS.
	In addition, we will be offering practical support to local authorities who want to deliver high quality youth services in an innovative way—for example by access to our £10 million support programme for mutuals.

Crown Commercial Service

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made on developing the role of the Crown Commercial Service; what savings to the public purse he expects to accrue from commercial reform of Government procurement; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The Crown Commercial Service is now a fully operational legal entity providing expert commercial services to the public sector.
	It is at the heart of the Government’s Commercial Reform Programme and will continue to drive further savings for the taxpayer and improve the quality of commercial and procurement activity across government.

National Citizen Service

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he plans to take to ensure that a higher proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds participate in the National Citizen Service.

Nick Hurd: Social mix is at the core of National Citizen Service. We take great care to ensure that all young people, regardless of background, are able to take part in the programme-and we know this is working.

Giro d'Italia

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what support the Emergency Planning College has provided to the planning and preparation for the Giro D'Italia Big Start in Northern Ireland in May 2014;
	(2)  how many training courses the Emergency Planning College has provided in Northern Ireland in each year since the college was established; and how many people from Northern Ireland have completed such training courses.

Oliver Letwin: The Emergency Planning College (EPC) has had no requests for direct support of the planning and preparation for the Giro D’Italia Big Start in Northern Ireland in May 2014. The EPC has however delivered a variety of civil protection and resilience planning courses in Northern Ireland for various organisations, including Sports NI.
	The Emergency Planning College (EPC) has provided 79 courses on emergency planning and crises management courses to 1170 attendees delivered in Northern Ireland since 2006. In addition to the training provided for customer organisations in NI, the EPC has trained 358 practitioners from NI attending residential training courses at the EPC since 2006.

Government Departments: Drinking Water

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate how much Government departments have spent on filtering tap water for drinking in each of the last four years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally. However, as part of this Government’s commitment to reducing waste and driving down costs, we are challenging departments on the need to make savings from facilities management.

Government Departments: ICT

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on ensuring that Government IT initiatives represent best value for money; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: After the 2010 general election, this Government formed the Efficiency and Reform Group to help and support departments in maximising value for money. Although responsibility for projects remains the responsibility of individual departments, we introduced strict controls to provide further scrutiny of spend including on IT projects.
	These controls can and have been used by the Cabinet Office to block inappropriate spending. In 2012-13 alone these controls helped us save taxpayers over £500 million from IT, contributing to overall efficiency savings of £10 billion in 2012-13 (the last year for which we have audited figures).
	We have clarified our ‘red lines’ for IT procurement—these are designed to encourage competition in the sector, free the Government from longstanding inflexible contracts with IT providers and ensure maximum taxpayer value. These rules include:
	we will no longer let ICT contracts over £100 million in value —unless there is an exceptional reason to do so. Contracts should be smaller to ensure the widest possible range of suppliers can compete for them.
	we will not give a contract for service provision to a company providing the system integration function in the same part of government. It’s an important way of ensuring we are an intelligent customer.
	we won’t extend existing contracts unless there is a compelling case—it’s rare to find any good reason to extend the pricing and technology of the past.
	we do not expect to let hosting contracts for more than two years. The cost of hosting seems to halve every 18 months. Businesses wouldn’t sign up for years upon end—and neither should government.

Government Departments: Procurement

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts the Government hold with (a) Johnson & Johnson, (b) Ethicon and (c) BARD; and what the value was of contracts with each such company.

Francis Maude: Since January 2011, as part of the Government’s transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder at:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Non-governmental Organisations: Vetting

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what background checks are regularly made on appointees to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations.

Francis Maude: As was the case under the previous Administration, the Government expect all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. As set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, public appointees are expected to uphold the standards of conduct set out in the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s Seven Principles of Public Life.

Public Sector: Fraud

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 469W, on public sector: fraud, if he will publish the independent project review of the Counter Fraud Checking Service when it is completed.

Francis Maude: As was the case under the previous Government, internal policy advice is not normally published.

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 721W, to the hon. Member for Leicester South (Jonathan Ashworth).

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what levels of stock the Church Commissioners hold of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners do not keep inventories of stationery items and office consumables, to calculate the stock levels held would incur a disproportionate cost. The level of stock is monitored regularly, and replenished as necessary to meet staff needs.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Empty Property

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress his Department has made on reducing the number of empty homes in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) the West Midlands, (d) Worcestershire and (e) Worcester.

Stephen Williams: Under this Government, the number of empty homes in England has fallen to a 10 year low. The number of long-term empty homes has fallen by around a third from October 2009 to October 2013, and the overall number of empty homes has fallen by around a fifth over the same period.
	There is more to do, yet we have a comprehensive series of policies to get empty buildings back into use and promote brownfield regeneration, as outlined in the answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 780W.
	Local authority figures are published on my Department's website, at live table 615:
	www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	Statistics on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are published by the devolved Administrations. My Department does not publish regional statistics. The number of vacant dwellings and long-term vacant dwellings, for Worcester, Worcestershire and England, are shown in Tables 1 and 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: All vacant dwellings, Worcester local authority district, Worcestershire and England, 5 October 2009 to 7 October 2013 
			  5 October 2009 4 October 2010 3 October 2011 1 October 2012 7 October 2013 
			 Worcester 1,348 1,216 1,261 1,369 1,214 
			 Worcestershire 7,298 7,103 6,983 6,960 6,406 
			 England 770,496 737,147 719,352 704,357 635,127 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: All long-term vacant dwellings, Worcester local authority district, Worcestershire and England, 5 October 2009 to 7 October 2013 
			  5 October 2009 4 October 2010 3 October 2011 1 October 2012 7 October 2013 
			 Worcester 579 382 428 476 355 
			 Worcestershire 3,165 2,627 2,475 2,449 1,826 
			 England 316,251 299,999 277,529 254,059 216,050

Local Government

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress he has made on the localism agenda; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: This Government have been clear about our intention to devolve power, responsibility and decision-making down to the lowest possible level. This vision underpins significant elements of our policy agenda which are transferring power and freedom to both local councils and communities, some of which are noted as follows.
	Nearly 1,000 assets of community value have been listed and we have helped 150 organisations to acquire a community asset or obtain significant investment towards doing so. 16 local campaigns for new parish councils are being supported covering local populations of more than half a million people. Over 100 new Our Place areas are starting work within their communities to transform neighbourhood level service delivery. Community share issues have raised over £24 million for community ventures.
	Nearly 800 neighbourhood planning areas have been designated, and all 13 plans which have so far reached referenda have passed with significant majorities in favour.
	Local authorities are now required to pass a proportion of Community Infrastructure Levy funding to local communities so that they can directly see the benefit of local development.
	Over 2013-15 £14 million has been made available for community groups to develop their proposals for Community Right to Build orders or to progress community-led development. Groups can develop their ideas on the development that they want and need in their areas. Applications for this funding continue to rise with around 60 applications received.
	In April 2014 four new combined authorities were established, on the request of the councils concerned. These will support the councils to collaborate and work jointly across the wider functional economic areas on economic development, regeneration and transport to support economic growth in the areas of South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Merseyside and Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.
	The Government want local authorities to be more transparent and accountable to local people for how they spend money, deliver services and take decisions. We will shortly be publishing a revised local authority transparency code extending the breadth of data that local authorities must publish and will make regulations to make publication of certain data a legal requirement. Also, regulations which will allow members of the public including professional journalists to film, photograph, audio-record and use social media to report the proceedings of meetings of local government bodies, and to access documents relating to decisions made by officers under delegation from their local government bodies, are now before Parliament.
	Under the business rates retention scheme local authorities now directly retain nearly £11 billion of business rates, instead of returning it to Whitehall.
	The Government have also reformed the outdated council housing finance system with the introduction of self-financing in 2012. This has given the 167 council landlords greater freedoms and the ability to plan for the long term to better meet the needs of their tenants and local area.
	“HomeSwap” Direct—the national home swap scheme which increases opportunities for social tenants wishing to move through mutual exchange—was launched in October 2011 and since then tenants have made over 18 million searches of ‘partner’ data.
	Social landlords are now free to match the length of tenancy to the needs of the household and to use their social housing stock in a way which best meets the needs of their local area. Councils have the freedom to decide who qualifies for social housing in their area and to find alternative solutions for those who do not qualify.

Private Sector

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by his Department since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The Department has not transferred any departmental jobs from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing since May 2010.

Social Rented Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the net change was in the number of homes for social rent between 1984 and 1990.

Kris Hopkins: Statistics on the amount of dwelling stock in England by tenure are published in the Department’s live table 104, which is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	Taken together, the private registered provider (housing association) and local authority tenures provide an estimate of total social housing.

Staff

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of his Department's staff excluding non-departmental public bodies were (a) women in top management posts, (b) women, (c) black and minority ethnic and (d) disabled.

Brandon Lewis: The current proportion of women in DCLG top management posts is 36.8%. While there is more to do to ensure the civil service has the very best possible mix of existing and future talent, I would observe that this is an increase from 33.0% from 2009-10, and is higher than the civil service work force target of 34.0%.
	I also refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, columns 398-400W.

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Brandon Lewis: My Department does not routinely record this information in the format requested. However, this Administration have cut spending significantly on office supplies, cutting expenditure from £480,180 (inc VAT) in 2009-10 to £73,738 in 2013-14.
	In 2010, we conducted an internal review of the Department’s spend on office supplies which highlighted several opportunities to achieve savings. A rationalised list of stationery items was created which:
	reduced the available catalogue of items from around 3,500 to approximately 220;
	replaced higher value branded items, with non-branded equivalents; and
	adopted recycled printer toners and copier paper.
	Significant savings were also achieved by aggregating the spend of all Departments and awarding a single Cabinet Office contract for stationery items and one for electronic office supplies (printer toners and other consumables). These contracts were awarded in September 2011 and DCLG were among the first departments to adopt them in November 2011.
	As part of our planned move of office accommodation this summer (to share with the Home Office to save taxpayers’ money), stationery across the department will be surrendered and pooled, with the potential to save money by not ordering items locally and preventing a build-up of surplus stationery stock.
	I hope this illustrates how every bit of the public sector has the potential to deliver sensible savings on back office costs.

Tell MAMA

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much grant-in-aid his Department has provided to Tell MAMA since May 2010; and what further funding he expects to provide.

Stephen Williams: Tell MAMA is the first service to record and monitor anti-Muslim hatred incidents and support victims. DCLG provided initial start-up grant funding to Tell MAMA of £395,500 between January 2012 and September 2013. Tell MAMA has subsequently received Big Lottery funding of £255,450 over two years from October 2013.

Wind Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 533W, on wind power, what proportion of the anticipated generating capacity of onshore wind projects at appeal stage in the planning system on 1 October 2013 related to applications subsequently recovered by him;
	(2)  what proportion of the anticipated generating capacity of onshore wind projects at appeal stage in the planning system related to applications recovered by him in each month of 2013.

Kris Hopkins: As I have said in my earlier answer, my Department does not centrally hold details of the generation capacity of wind turbine appeals.
	As at 1 October 2013, there were 255 onshore wind farm appeals, of which 32 were or have subsequently been recovered.
	I can confirm that 17 onshore wind farm appeals were recovered in 2013. This amounts to 6% of the number of onshore wind farm appeals received (280) during that period.
	
		
			 2013 Appeals received Appeals recovered 
			 January 23 4 
			 February 37 1 
			 March 28 2 
			 April 19 1 
			 May 25 1 
		
	
	
		
			 June 27 1 
			 July 19 2 
			 August 26  
			 September 24 1 
			 October 14 3 
			 November 17 1 
			 December 21  
			 Total 280 17 
		
	
	I also refer the hon. Member to the written statement of 9 April 2014, Official Report, columns 12-13WS, which explains the background to the recovery of these planning appeals.

EDUCATION

Children: Social Services

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children have been removed from their parents by social services in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: The following table shows the number of children who were taken into care in each of the last five years. Children who were taken into care were children who started to be looked after under a care order, police protection, emergency protection order or child assessment order.
	
		
			 Children who were taken into care during the years ending 31 March 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Number of children taken into care 8,180 9,580 9,560 10,140 11,100 
		
	
	The information provided in the table is also published in table C2 of the statistical release, which is available online:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption

Domestic Violence

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the number of UK households which experience high risk domestic abuse; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such abuse on children.

Edward Timpson: Information about the number of children at risk because of domestic abuse has been collected by local authorities as part of the Department for Education's Children in Need census since April 2013. The first figures will be available from autumn 2014.

Domestic Violence

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the (a) Home Secretary and (b) Secretary of State for Justice on domestic abuse and its effect on children.

Edward Timpson: Issues relating to domestic abuse are discussed in meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Violence Against Women and Girls, chaired by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. I represent the Department for Education at these meetings, and Ministry of Justice Ministers also attend.

Domestic Violence

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has commissioned on a potential relationship between domestic abuse experienced by children and low educational attainment in later life.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has not commissioned research on the possible relationship between domestic abuse and a child's subsequent educational attainment. Reports published earlier this year by the Early Intervention Foundation and by Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse highlighted the impact on children's wellbeing of exposure to domestic abuse. Though these reports did not focus on later educational attainment, they illustrated potential disruption to children's lives that is likely to affect their education. The Government are committed to safeguarding children from any form of abuse.

Pupil Exclusions: Autism

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, columns 787-88W, on pupil exclusions: autism, whether his Department plans to employ further exclusion advisors.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not employ any exclusion advisers.
	The exclusion adviser referred to in the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, columns 787-88W, on pupil exclusions: autism is employed by the National Autistic Society using a grant provided by the Department under the National Prospectus Grants Programme 2013-15.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what data his Department collects on children missing education; what information schools are expected to record in the Lost Pupil Database, part of his Department's school2school site; and how many pupils' records were held in the Lost Pupil Database on 1 February (a) 2014, (b) 2013, (c) 2012, (d) 2011 and (e) 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not collect data on children missing education. Section 436A of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on local authorities to have arrangements that enable them to establish the identities of children in their area who are not registered pupils at a school, and are not receiving suitable education through a means other than at a school. Local authorities may decide as part of this duty to collect information on children who may be missing education or at risk of doing so. The Department’s statutory guidance to local authorities advises that they must have robust procedures in place to fulfil their legal duty.
	The ‘lost pupils database' (LPD) records the transfer records of pupils whose correct destination is not known. Files are retained whenever a child leaves a school for a destination outside the maintained school sector. Examples of these destinations include ‘gone to an independent school’, ‘gone sick’, ‘moved abroad with parents’ or ‘moved on without reason'.
	The LPD is not used by Children Missing Education (CME) officers to record CME data. The primary function of the Department's School to School (S2S) secure data transfer website is to provide schools and local authorities (LAs) with a mechanism for the secure and ongoing transfer of thousands of statutory child-level data files per week to new schools/LAs when children move school.
	The details required for the Lost Pupil Database are:
	File Name
	Source school
	Source LA
	UPN
	Surname
	Forename
	DOB
	Gender
	Former UPN
	Former Surname
	Middle Names
	Ethnicity
	FSM eligibility
	In Care
	Care Authority
	SEN status
	Start Date
	Postcode
	Sessions Possible
	Sessions Attended
	Sessions Unauthorised
	First Language
	LPD records are stored for a minimum of 12 months. The last ‘clear down’ took place in October 2013 which means monthly additions are only held back to October 2012. At 1 February 2014, 15,128 records were held on the system. Records are not removed from the system until the general ‘clear down’, so the figure does not represent pupils missing from education at any given time.

School Meals

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 56W, on soft drinks: schools, what proportion of (a) academies and (b) free schools have made a voluntary commitment to adhere to the school food standards regulations.

David Laws: During their review of school food, the authors of the School Food Plan approached several academy chains, including the Harris Federation, the Oasis Community Learning Multi-Academy Trust, and the School Partnership Trust. All agreed in principle to comply with the standards, and representatives from the Leon Foundation will be attending the Academies Show on 30 April with a view to encouraging as many academies and free schools as possible to sign up formally to the new standards.
	99% of those academies which responded to a survey by the School Food Trust in 2012 said they were committed to following the new food standards. All academies and free schools signing their funding agreements from spring 2014 are required to adhere to the new, less bureaucratic school food standards.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 86W, on schools: governing bodies, how many governors (a) have completed and (b) are expected to have completed National College for Teaching and Leadership training on dealing with performance related pay awards for teachers by 1 September 2014.

Edward Timpson: From January to April 2014, 3,205 school governors completed the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) training on dealing with performance related pay awards for teachers; 7,200 are expected to complete the training by 1 September 2014.
	Governors have held school leadership to account for school performance, including the assessment of overall teacher performance, for some time. With the introduction of performance-related pay, governing bodies will have already approved revised pay policies that set out precisely how their schools will make performance and pay decisions.
	To support governors in exercising their responsibilities, the Department for Education issued advice on implementing the new pay arrangements. The NCTL is also providing these free training workshops for governors on performance-related pay and financial efficiencies. In addition, the National Governors Association (NGA) has published guidance on how governors should prepare to deal with pay appeals. We believe that, with this support, most governing bodies will have the knowledge and awareness of the key issues they need to address to ensure that robust evidence-based pay decisions are made this September.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2014, Official Report, column 57W, on special educational needs, which organisations and charities have been consulted on the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

Edward Timpson: The consultation on a draft Special Educational Needs Code of Practice was an open consultation and any organisations or individuals could respond. The Department for Education received over 700 responses from a wide range of organisations and individuals including parents; young people; early years; schools; further education professionals; local authorities; health sector professionals and voluntary and community sector organisations, including many from the special educational needs and disability fields.
	A short, focused consultation is now being carried out on a revised draft, which takes account of responses to the public consultation and amendments to the Children and Families Bill during its passage through Parliament. A full response to the consultations on the Code of Practice will be published in the next few weeks and this will give details of organisations and charities who responded.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 191W, on special educational needs, when the pilots will launch and finish; and when the findings of such pilots will be published.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education, in consultation with the Ministry of Justice and others, will in the near future be developing proposals for the review of redress and complaint arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, of which these pilots will form a part. We estimate that the pilots will begin in the spring of 2015 as the first appeals about the new Education, Health and Care plans begin to be heard and that the pilots will last for two years as they build up the evidence on which to base any recommendations. The Secretary of State for Education and the Lord Chancellor must lay a report on the outcome of the review before Parliament within three years of the any of the provisions of part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 coming into force in September 2014. Interim findings from the pilots could be published before the final report on the review.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department has issued to other Government Departments on implementing the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when considering new policy or legislation.

Edward Timpson: The Cabinet Office’s ‘Guide to Making Legislation’, published in July 2013, states that officials in all Government Departments are expected to have regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) before starting the legislative process. A copy of the guidance is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210917/Guide_to_Making_Legislation _July_2013.pdf
	It is for individual Departments to determine how best to comply with this commitment in practice. The Department for Education has offered advice to them in a variety of forms in our role of co-ordinating the forthcoming report to the UN Committee for the UK’s fifth periodic review, which will set out the progress which has been made in implementing the UNCRC since the last review in 2008.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the voter registration rate was for 18-year-olds in each of the last 30 years.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not hold figures on the registration rates for 18-year-olds in each of the last 30 years.
	However, it does hold estimates of registration rates for age groups from several studies conducted on the accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers in Great Britain.
	
		
			 Register Age band Registration rate (percentage) Study conducted by: 
			 April 2011 (Great Britain) 17 to 18 55 Electoral Commission (EC) 
			  19 to 24 56  
			     
			 February 2001 (England and Wales) 18 to 24 84 EC and Office for National Statistics 
			     
			 February 1991 (Great Britain) 18 to 19 88 Office of Population Census and Surveys—Social Survey Division 
			 February 1981 (Great Britain) 18 to 19 87

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 193W, on electoral register, if the Electoral Commission will introduce public awards for electoral registration officers who have set best practice in the UK.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it will consider the idea of awards as part of work it is already undertaking with the UK Electoral Advisory Board and the wider electoral community ahead of the 2015 UK parliamentary general election to explore options for identifying, recognising and sharing what works well in electoral administration.
	The Electoral Commission also informs me that it already provides comprehensive guidance, tools and templates for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) which have been developed in consultation with the electoral community and which contain examples of tactics and activities that can be employed by EROs locally. Additionally, in monitoring preparations for the transition to Individual Electoral Registration, the Commission has already worked to facilitate sharing of knowledge and experiences between EROs facing similar challenges, and intends to build on this throughout the transition, supporting timely identification and sharing of what works and what does not.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 193W, on electoral register, for what reasons the Electoral Commission had previously organised voter registration drives for overseas voters but had not organised such drives for UK citizens who reside in the UK.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it regularly carries out public awareness campaigns—or registration drives—in the UK. Its guidance to Electoral Registration Officers also highlights ways in which local public engagement plans can increase registration in the UK through targeted local activities.
	Overseas Registration Day was a new initiative this year as part of its expatriate registration campaign. Bite the Ballot also established a similar initiative in the UK this year that the Commission supported.
	Given this, the Commission would not look to establish its own separate voter registration day in the UK, as this may be confusing for voters. It is, however, actively working with Bite the Ballot to see what further support it can provide them for National Voter Registration Day next year.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 193W, on electoral register, if he will place a copy of the responses from electoral registration officers on whether or not they carried out a personal canvass of all non-responders in the Library and on the internet.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has published data provided by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) relating to their annual canvass activity, including data relating to house-to-house inquiries, for each year from 2008 to 2012 on its website at:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/performance-standards/performance-in-running-electoral-registration
	As set out in its report ‘Readiness for the transition to Individual Electoral Registration’, which was published in March 2014, the Commission is currently completing a detailed analysis of the data provided by EROs relating to the 2013 canvass and will publish this information on the internet and place a copy in the House of Commons Library once it has been completed.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 193W, on electoral register, for what reasons the Electoral Commission does not collect data on the number of attainers registered as part of its monitoring of electoral registration officers.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it reviews the data on registered attainers collected by the Office for National Statistics and, separately, carries out assessments of the accuracy and completeness of the registers periodically.
	The Commission also informs me that its current performance standards framework is designed to support Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in preparing for and delivering the transition to Individual Electoral Registration. The standards seek to ensure that EROs have appropriate plans in place to address the particular challenges in their registration area in order to maximise registration, and that they monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their activities.
	The Commission will continue to keep its performance standards framework under review and will consider whether specific information on the number of attainers registered should be included as part of the data it requests from EROs in the future.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy Companies Obligation

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the difference in the number of households benefiting from energy company obligation in 2013 and from the carbon emissions reduction target scheme in 2012.

Gregory Barker: The latest provisional statistics on green deal and the energy company obligation (ECO) showed that around 530,000 measures were installed in 450,000 households through ECO in 2013. The full statistical release can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-april-2014
	No information was collected on the number of households benefiting from the carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) in 2012. Around 2.4 million measures (cavity wall insulations, loft insulations and solid wall insulations) were installed in 2012 through CERT, but more than one of these measures could have been installed in some households. We do not hold information on other measures delivered through CERT by year.
	When comparing the two years, it is important to bear in mind that the rules for each scheme were different. ECO has focused particularly on the delivery of harder to treat measures which were not the main focus under CERT. CERT delivery in 2012 was also the highest of the five years of CERT as this was the last year of the scheme.

Energy: Housing

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the required rate of delivery of household energy efficiency measures required in order to meet carbon emissions reduction targets.

Gregory Barker: The Government published our “Energy Efficiency Strategy” in 2012, and “Fifth Annual Progress Report: Meeting the Carbon Budgets—2013 Progress Report to Parliament” in October 2013, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/65602/6927-energy-efficiency-strategy--the-energy-efficiency.pdf
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/249172/CCC5th.pdf
	These set the longer term context for delivering energy efficiency measures into the UK’s housing stock, and the potential contribution they can make to delivering our longer term carbon targets.

Floods: Cumbria

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the potential risks posed by (a) flooding and (b) rising sea levels at the Drigg Low-Level Waste Repository in Cumbria.

Michael Fallon: Radioactive waste management activities are subject to permitting by the Environment Agency under legislation introduced by the Department.
	As part of the environmental permitting process for radioactive waste disposal the agency has required the operators of the Low-Level Waste Repository (LLWR) to consider long term coastal erosion at the site and the need for and feasibility of providing sea defences. These issues are assessed within an Environmental Safety Case submitted to the Environment Agency in May 2011 which has been subject to review by the Environment Agency over the last two to three years and also the subject of a public consultation between November 2013 and February 2014.

Green Deal Scheme

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that consumers benefit from green deal incentives.

Gregory Barker: The green deal incentives are being designed to be straightforward for customers to understand and take up.
	We will launch a consumer engagement campaign to begin once the incentives become available.

UK Coal

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a list of the land and property owned by UK Coal and its subsidiaries that was previously owned by the National Coal Board and British Coal.

Michael Fallon: No. A portfolio of land and property was transferred to a predecessor company of UK Coal Production Ltd (“UK Coal”) in 1994. It would be for UK Coal itself to clarify what from that portfolio remains in its ownership.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum: Deportation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 16W, on asylum: deportation, to which countries the enforced removals of adults previously classified as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were made in each such year.

James Brokenshire: The following table shows the number of enforced removals of adults who were previously classified as Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) for the period January 2009 to December 2013.
	
		
			 Destination 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Grand total 
			 Taiwan (Republic of China) 2 8 30 18 22 80 
			 Ghana 5 16 24 7 11 63 
			 Pakistan 6 17 13 7 4 47 
			 India 0 3 17 13 13 46 
			 China 5 6 15 6 10 42 
			 Italy 4 7 17 6 8 42 
			 Kenya 1 2 12 6 10 31 
			 Malaysia 6 3 13 1 2 25 
			 United Arab Emirates 2 6 6 3 4 21 
			 Brazil 0 5 5 4 4 18 
			 New Zealand 0 1 1 5 8 15 
			 Ukraine 1 2 6 3 2 14 
		
	
	
		
			 Gambia 1 2 6 0 0 9 
			 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0 4 1 3 0 8 
			 Germany 1 2 2 0 2 7 
			 Greece 0 2 1 0 2 5 
			 Mongolia 0 2 1 1 0 4 
			 South Africa 0 0 3 1 0 4 
			 Albania 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Nigeria 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Uganda 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Destination field is blank 4 3 10 2 6 25 
			 Grand total 38 91 183 87 110 509 
			 Notes: 1. Destinations do not always equate to final destinations. 2. Data relate to people that were over 18 at time of departures. 3. Figures provided cover the calendar years 1 January to 31 December.

Asylum: North East

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that the application for exit costs submitted to her Department by the North East Refugee Service in March 2014 is paid immediately.

James Brokenshire: The North of England Refugee Service submitted an exit cost claim as a constituent part of a wider claim submitted by the Refugee Council to the Home Office. Negotiations on the claim are under way between the Home Office and the Refugee Council.

British Air Transport Association

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter addressed to the Minister of State for Crime Prevention from the British Air Transport Association dated 7 February 2014.

Norman Baker: I can confirm that I responded to the British Air Transport Association on the 28 April 2014.

Community Relations

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department plans to implement the Bling-Back scheme recommended in Baroness Newlove's report, Our Vision for Safe and Active Communities, published in March 2011.

Karen Bradley: There has been a scheme since 2004 whereby a proportion of the proceeds of crime recovered from drug dealers and other criminals are returned to law enforcement agencies. The money returned to law enforcement has been used to support a continued increase in the amounts recovered from criminals and can be invested in community projects.

Crime: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of trends in the level of rural crime; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Across the country, crime has fallen by more than ten per cent since June 2010.The latest published data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales show that the proportion of adults who were victims of crime was substantially lower in rural than urban areas, and has been falling since 2009/10. According to the 2012/13 Crime Survey for England and Wales, 13.4 per cent of people in rural areas were victims of crime, compared with 20.1 per cent in urban areas.
	However, the latest findings from the Commercial Victimisation Survey of crimes against businesses, which looked at crime affecting the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry, showed that there were 130,000 incidents of crime against the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in 2013, affecting just under a third (30 per cent) of premises. Of the six business sectors surveyed in 2012 and 2013, the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector experienced the lowest rate of overall crime (1,475 incidents per 1,000 premises).
	The Government recognises that rural communities are vulnerable to certain crimes. The election of Police and Crime Commissioners has given communities, including rural communities, a stronger voice in determining how police resources are allocated to tackle the crimes that matter most to them.

Crimes of Violence: Taxis

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attacks were recorded against licensed taxi drivers in each year between 2008 and 2012.

Norman Baker: I regret that the requested data are not available centrally.

Domestic Violence

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will bring forward legislative proposals to criminalise patterns of coercive control in domestic violence cases;
	(2)  if she will bring forward legislative proposals to criminalise psychological abuse and coercive control;
	(3)  if she will bring forward legislative proposals to (a) criminalise a pattern of partner abuse and (b) ensure that the police are not required only to treat each incident comprising such a pattern as a separate crime;
	(4)  if she will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce provisions for bringing prosecutions on the basis of a course of conduct in which a person has acted strategically to control, isolate, intimidate or degrade their victim in domestic violence cases.

Norman Baker: Domestic abuse is already a crime. There are a number of offences that make domestic abuse illegal, including actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm and assault. The cross-Government definition is clear that domestic abuse is any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.
	Assault can extend to non-physical harm, and this can include psychological, financial, and emotional abuse. Stalking and harassment legislation, which criminalises a course of conduct, can apply to intimate partner relationships.
	Last September, the Home Secretary commissioned Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a review of the response to domestic abuse across all police forces. HMIC published its findings in March 2014, emphasising that the key priority is a culture change in the police so that domestic violence and abuse is treated as the crime that it is, and pointing out that the police use the full range of tools already available to them.
	The Home Secretary will chair a national oversight group to oversee delivery against each of HMIC’s recommendations on which I will also sit.

Drugs: Misuse

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to give local authorities greater powers to deal with the consumption of legal highs in a public place; and what support he is providing to councils who wish to put by-laws in place to prevent such consumption.

Norman Baker: As stated in my answer to the hon. Member of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 112W, on 12 December 2013 I announced a review by an expert panel to look at how the UK’s response to new psychoactive substances, sometimes inaccurately called ‘legal highs’, can be enhanced beyond the existing measures. The expert panel includes a senior policy adviser from the Local Government Association to inform the work of the panel from a local government perspective, including whether existing by-laws may be used to tackle this damaging trade. This work is ongoing, and the panel is due to report its recommendations by the end of spring 2014.
	To support local authorities, the Home Office published guidance in December 2013 setting out the range of legislative tools local authorities can use to tackle the ‘head shops' where these substances are often sold. This was developed in collaboration with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and the Trading Standards Institute and can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/action-against-head-shops
	The guidance covers offences head shops may be committing under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985, and various consumer protection regulations.
	The Home Office has also provided targeted support to local authorities with testing of new psychoactive substances through the Forensic Early Warning System, to help them take action against the sale of these products by identifying the contents.

Entry Clearances

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the contribution of the (a) Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa route and (b) Tier 1 (Investor) visa route on economic growth.

James Brokenshire: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on economic issues relating to migration.
	On 1 July 2013 the MAC published a “Report on the economic and labour market impacts of tier 1 entrepreneur and investor migrants to the UK” which it had commissioned from the Migration Observatory. The report made a number of findings, although it concluded that it was too early to make a full assessment of the economic contribution of the two routes without further research. The report is available on the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-and-labour-market-impacts-tier-1-entrepreneur-and-investor-migrants
	More recently, on 25 February 2014 the MAC published its own report, “Tier 1 (Investor) route: investment thresholds and economic benefits” in response to a Government commission. The MAC concluded that the direct investment required by the route is of little or no benefit, but there is some benefit from indirect spending by investors and their families in the UK (although this is difficult to quantify). The report is available on the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-investment-limits-and-economic-benefits-of-the-tier-1-investor-route-feb-2014
	The Government keep all routes under review and are currently considering our response to the MAC’s report on the Tier 1 (Investor) route.

Fraud

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to improve the performance of each police force in England in handling cases referred to them by the City of London Fraud Unit; and what the percentage detection is for such cases in each police force area.

Damian Green: The response of individual police forces to fraud is a matter for the respective police and crime commissioner. However the Government are committed to assisting and, supported by £30 million of Government investment in regional organised crime units last year, the police are improving consistency and uplifting their investigative capabilities in areas including cyber crime and fraud. In addition, we have committed as part of the National Cyber Security Programme to train 5,000 police officers in cyber crime by 2015.
	From 1 April 2013, all police forces have been required to return outcomes under Home Office Counting Rules for fraud and cyber crimes to the City of London police (which runs the Action Fraud service). The data for the 2013-14 financial year are currently being collated and analysed by City of London police, and will be made available to police forces shortly.

Human Trafficking

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the nationality and gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in February 2014; in which (a) region and (b) county each of the suspected victims was found; which agency referred each person to the scheme; in which town the shelter in which they were placed was for the relevant period; and what contact has been made with each victim to ensure they are not re-trafficked.

Karen Bradley: In February 2014, there were 126 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. In the interests of victim safety, only the region in which the victim was encountered is provided, and not which town they were placed in. Once an individual receives a Conclusive Grounds decision, they will be given tailored support to safely return home or integrate in the UK. Once they exit the service, no formal mechanisms exist to maintain contact.

Human Trafficking: Albania

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a comparative assessment of the sources, reliability and mutual compatibility of the statistics on the number of human trafficking victims from Albania given in parliamentary written answers and in the annual reports of the National Crime Agency.

Karen Bradley: A comparative assessment has been made.
	Parliamentary questions regularly ask for specific details about suspected victims of trafficking referred to the trafficking victim support service operated by the Salvation Army.
	The source of this data is the Salvation Army records.
	The National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes statistics each year on the number of potential victims who have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism.
	The source of this data is the NCA records.
	The two sets of figures measure slightly different things but are mutually compatible.
	Not all of the potential victims who are referred to the National Referral Mechanism will then be referred to the Salvation Army for victim support. Some might not receive a positive reasonable grounds decision and others might not want Government-funded support.
	We would therefore expect the number of cases referred to the National Referral Mechanism, reported by the NCA, to be higher than the number of cases referred to the Salvation Army for victim support, reported by the regular parliamentary questions.
	This is borne out by our comparative assessment. The table below lists the PQs that have requested data about the number of potential victims referred to the Salvation Army, and lists the number of Albanian victims supported each month.
	In total, these data indicate that there were 139 Albanian adult victims referred to the Salvation Army for victim support in 2013 in England and Wales.
	This is lower than the 208 potential adult Albanian victims who were originally referred to the National Referral Mechanism in 2013 from England and Wales, as reported in the NCA’s annual report.
	
		
			  MP Hansard reference Number of Albanian victims supported 
			 January Tony Baldry 14 February 2013, Official Report, column 866W 5 
			 February Amber Rudd 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 33W 9 
			 March Margot James 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 925W 7 
			 April Robert Buckland 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 927W 14 
			 May David Simpson 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 712W 10 
			 June Chris Ruane 10 July 2013, Official Report, column 276W 9 
			 July Fiona Bruce 6 February 2014, Official Report, column 325W 12 
			 August Caroline Spelman 28 October 2013, Official Report, column 358W 9 
			 September Peter Bone 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 512W 16 
			 October Fiona Bruce 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 613W 23 
			 November John Randall 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 277W 17 
			 December Frank Field 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 481W 8 
			 Total   139

Licensing Laws: Wales

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  for what reasons premises in Wales have not been included in the extension of licensing hours during the FIFA World Cup.
	(2)  if she will include premises in Wales in the extension of licensing hours during FIFA World Cup matches.

Norman Baker: The Government consulted publicly on whether licensing hours should be relaxed during the FIFA World Cup 2014. A range of representations were made both for and against the proposal. We received a total of 1,468 responses to the online consultation. 77% (1,095 respondents) believed that any national relaxation of licensing hours should apply to England and Wales. However, only 2% (25 respondents) identified themselves as living or working in Wales.
	While a majority of Welsh respondents favoured a relaxation for England and Wales, there was a difference between English and Welsh respondents about how the relaxation might be delivered. There was a clear majority of Welsh respondents who favoured using the Temporary Event Notice system, rather than a blanket relaxation, while of English respondents the majority (74%) favoured a blanket relaxation. This is consistent with what the Government has opted to do: a national blanket relaxation in England, with licensed premises able to use the Temporary Event Notice system in Wales.
	Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003 allows the relevant Secretary of State to make an order relaxing opening hours for licensed premises to mark occasions of ‘exceptional international, national or local significance’. The Government considers that the England football team’s participation in the FIFA World Cup 2014 is an event of exceptional national significance in England.
	The Government has therefore decided not to include Wales in the relaxation of licensing hours for the FIFA World Cup 2014. However, licensed premises in Wales wishing to remain open beyond their licensed hours will be able to do so by using the Temporary Event Notice procedure.

Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances she uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools she uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: The Green Book and associated supplementary guidance is publicly available on the Treasury website. It sets out a range of approaches and methods that may be appropriate in a number of different appraisal circumstances.

Tranquillisers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle the street trade in prescription tranquilisers.

Norman Baker: We are fully aware of the dangers of the misuse of prescription drugs such as tranquilisers, and law enforcement authorities have a robust range of powers available to deal with those who engage in the diversion and illicit trade of such drugs, particularly where those drugs are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Police forces use these powers to tackle the trade of such substances in their area, and action is also being taken to tackle illicit online sales. For instance, the Medicines Healthcare and Regulatory Products Agency works closely with Internet Service Providers to close down websites that are illicitly selling prescription drugs to UK consumers. In June 2013, the Agency and Border Force collaborated on Operation Pangea, an annual international initiative which in the UK led to the seizure of 3.7 million doses of unlicensed medicine worth approximately £12.2 million.
	As well as cracking down on the illicit supply of prescription drugs, we are taking steps to increase our understanding of the problem. This is why in September 2013 the Home Secretary asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to explore the potential for medical and social harms arising from the diversion and illicit supply of prescription drugs. I have asked that this work includes consideration of the prevalence of misuse, user demographics, and the most common drugs being misused. The Advisory Council is likely to report later in the year.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what levels of stock the House of Commons Commission holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

John Thurso: The House purchases stationery, printer cartridges, fasteners and other consumable items through a contract providing a next day delivery service. No central stocks are held.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Female Genital Mutilation

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the prevalence of female genital mutilation in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: I am not aware of any recent cases of female genital mutilation being reported in Northern Ireland.
	Female genital mutilation is a horrific form of child abuse and violence against women and girls, and the Northern Ireland Executive has put in place a number of safeguarding structures, policies and procedures designed to protect females.
	The Civil Law Reform division of the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Finance and Personnel consulted on draft multi-agency practice guidelines on female genital mutilation earlier this year which were based on the Home Office’s guidelines.

Foreign Investment in UK

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Executive to increase foreign direct investment to Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: The successful G8 summit and follow-up investment conference have highlighted Northern Ireland as a great place in which to invest.
	I continue to work in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to attract foreign direct investment to Northern Ireland building on the success of the Northern Ireland Investment conference at which the Prime Minister made the keynote address.
	On 7 November I co-hosted, with Arlene Foster, the Northern Ireland Investment Seminar at Lancaster house for a number of high commissioners and ambassadors to explain the benefits for their respective countries of trade and investment in Northern Ireland. NIO and Invest NI officials are now meeting the trade and commercial officers from the embassies with a view to inviting their respective ambassador to lead a trade delegation to Northern Ireland on a visit co-hosted by myself and the DETI Minister.
	The first two of these ambassadorial visits will take place in September and October and it is envisaged that other visits will take place over the coming 12 months.
	Arlene Foster has also invited me to participate with her at SIAL 2014 which will take place in Paris in October. SIAL is the world’s premier food exhibition and will provide a good opportunity to promote the excellence of Northern Ireland produce to the international food industry.

Freedom of Information

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to her Department remained unanswered (a) after 20 days and (b) after 90 days at 1 April 2014; and (i) how many and (ii) what the subject matter is of any such requests that remained unanswered after 180 days at that date.

Theresa Villiers: At 1 April 2014, there was one request remaining unanswered after 20 days and one request remaining unanswered after 90 days. There were no requests remaining unanswered after 180 days at 1 April 2014.

Northern Ireland Government

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last held a meeting with the Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development.

Theresa Villiers: I was due to meet the Northern Ireland Social Development Minister in March but unfortunately the meeting had to be postponed. My private office has suggested further dates to his and is waiting to hear back.

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether her Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.

Theresa Villiers: My Department’s payroll services are provided by the Ministry of Justice. My understanding is that they have no current plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.

World Expo: Italy

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with UK Trade & Investment on ensuring that Northern Ireland is represented in planning for the UK pavilion at Milan Expo 2015.

Theresa Villiers: UKTI and Invest NI have a close working relationship and cooperate whenever possible to attract trade and investment to Northern Ireland.
	I am advised that UKTI has already initiated discussions with Invest NI on Northern Ireland's representation there.

World War I: Anniversaries

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent meetings she has had on First World War centenary commemorations in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office plays a co-ordination role with the aim of ensuring that First World War commemorations are implemented in Northern Ireland in a manner which promotes reconciliation and enhances prospects for a peaceful, shared future.
	Officials from my Department sit on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Programme Board for First World War Centenary Commemorations. They also have regular contact with officials in the British embassy Dublin, the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, and sit on the Northern Ireland First World War Centenary Committee chaired by the right hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr Donaldson).
	I receive regular updates on this work and will attend a number of events being planned to mark this important centenary over the course of the coming months. These events will take place in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and France.

PRIME MINISTER

National Insurance Contributions

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to his letter of April 2014 sent to small businesses on employment allowance, if he will clarify who was meant by the use of we in the third paragraph; and whether he has discussed the neutrality of such a phase with the Electoral Commission.

David Cameron: As set out in the Programme for Government, this Government have a long-term plan to build a new economy, which supports sustainable growth and enterprise. The employment allowance was introduced to promote both growth and employment, particularly among small businesses. I have had no discussion with the Electoral Commission on the letter.

SCOTLAND

Stationery

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

David Mundell: In recent years, as e-communication has increased, the expenditure on stationery items has decreased. This coupled with rigorous control measures, has enabled the Scotland Office to maintain a low level of stock of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly; all staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies who remain responsible for all employment matters including payroll deductions for trade union subscriptions.

TREASURY

Capital Gains Tax

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the reasons are for the difference in the most recent forecast capital gains tax revenue for 2013-14 and the forecast made in Budget 2013;
	(2)  what the reasons were for the fall in capital gains tax revenue in 2012-13;
	(3)  what the reasons are for forecast capital gains tax revenue in 2013-14 being below that of 2011-12.

David Gauke: The details of the forecasts are set out in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook publications. The Office for Budget Responsibility was created in 2010 and provides the authoritative and independent forecasts for the UK’s economy and public finances.
	http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/category/publications/

Employee Ownership

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 18W, on employee ownership 
	(1)  if he will make an estimate of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013;
	(2)  for what reason the details of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013 are not available;
	(3)  for what reason the details of the Exchequer impact of the tax rules for the shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013 are not available.
	(4)  if he will make an estimate of the Exchequer impact of the tax rules for shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013.

David Gauke: Employers are not required to provide details of any shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements to HM Revenue and Customs until they submit their annual employment-related securities return for 2013-14. No details or estimates of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013 are currently available.
	Estimates of the Exchequer impact of the capital gains tax exemption and the income tax and national insurance treatment of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements in tax years to 2017-18 can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/emp-shareholder-status.pdf

Inheritance Tax

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the £325,000 inheritance tax threshold to (a) £1 million and (b) £500,000 in each of the next five financial years.

David Gauke: This Government have no current plans to increase the inheritance tax threshold.

Minimum Wage: Northern Ireland

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to tackle cases of employees in Northern Ireland being paid below the minimum wage.

David Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously and HMRC enforce the NMW legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.
	HMRC has an NMW enforcement team based in Belfast, and that team investigates all complaints received by the Pay and Work Rights helpline relating to Northern Ireland-based employers alongside employers who are based and trading in the wider UK. The NMW Belfast team works closely with other Northern Ireland enforcement agencies including the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Home Office Immigration and Enforcement and Department of Employment and Learning.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to reduce the amount of stamp duty paid by first-time home buyers.

David Gauke: The stamp duty land tax relief for first time buyers in existence between March 2010 and March 2012 was found by HMRC to be ineffective in increasing the number of first time buyers entering the market.
	The Government are instead taking other steps to support those wishing to purchase a home, such as the Help to Buy and NewBuy schemes.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of men and women who make use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit; and if he will assess the potential effects of increasing that limit on couples saving together for retirement.

David Gauke: As shown in HMRC’s published statistics (Table PEN3 available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/259967/pen3.pdf)
	in 2011-12 around 20,000 unemployed adults made or received contributions into their personal pensions. 6,000 of these individuals made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit of £3,600 including basic rate tax relief.
	A further 10,000 children, 10,000 individuals in full time education and 10,000 carers made or received contributions into their personal pensions. Of these, around a quarter made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit.
	Of the individuals mentioned above who made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit in 2011-12, around two thirds were female.
	The Government have made no assessment of the effects of increasing the limit on couples saving together for retirement but keeps all tax policies under review.

Taxation

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on combining national insurance and income tax.

David Gauke: As set out at autumn statement 2012, the Government will wait for further progress on planned operational changes to the tax system before formally consulting on the operational integration of income tax and NICs.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Taxation: Business

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to reduce taxation on small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Government are committed to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business and has focused a number of measures specifically on small businesses.
	These include a £2,000 employment allowance available from April 2014 to support small businesses aspiring to hire their first employee or expand their work force; and, as set out in the autumn statement 2013, a £1 billion package of business rates measures, 90% of which is going to businesses occupying small premises. The Government are also increasing the payable R&D tax credit for loss-making SMEs from 11% to 14.5 from April 2014, providing particular support for early-stage companies and start-ups, who face the greatest risks and barriers to R&D investment.
	Fuel costs are also significant for many small businesses so the Government have implemented the longest duty freeze for over 20 years. In total, by 2015-16 a small business with a van will have saved £1,300 and a haulier £21,000.

Taxation: Business

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to improve support for small and medium-sized enterprises which are in need of short-term assistance and flexibility through improved partnership working between the HM Revenue and Custom's (HMRC) simplified import VAT accounting duty deferment team and the HMRC debt management and time-to-pay teams; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Simplified Import VAT Accounting (SIVA) scheme is a trade facilitation measure that reduces compliance costs for legitimate traders through the removal of the requirement to provide a guarantee to secure import VAT paid through the duty deferment scheme.
	The risk to the tax revenue by traders operating SIVA is potentially very large as the period between the tax due being deferred and being collected by HMRC may result in a failure to pay. The setting of the SIVA approval criteria has to strike a balance between ensuring the trade receive the maximum benefit from the scheme, while at the same time protecting the revenue.
	Businesses have to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the SIVA requirements. The SIVA team monitor this through internal systems, including any outstanding debts or Time-to Pay agreements requested. When they identify a business experiencing difficulties, they advise them of the potential impact on their SIVA approval. Warning letters are issued by the team to businesses who fail to comply and only if there is evidence of continued non-compliance is the approval removed.
	The current procedures provide an appropriate balance between trade facilitation and protection of the revenue.

WALES

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right. As the Ministry of Justice is the main employer of staff at the Wales Office, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Mr Vara), on 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 172W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department's risk assessment of the transfer of his Department's contract with Atos Healthcare for provision of work capability assessments to a new provider; and what steps he is taking to mitigate the risks identified in that assessment.

Michael Penning: The transition from Atos Healthcare to the new provider in 2015 provides a further opportunity to improve the service the Department offers to claimants and customers. The Department will manage the transition carefully to mitigate the impact on claimants and customers and to further mitigate any risks the new provider will initially use elements of the Atos infrastructure already in place, including IT, Estate and Atos employees (subject to TUPE).
	The priority for the new provider will be to deliver the best possible service for claimants, increase the volume of assessments carried out and reduce waiting times.

Children

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Minister in his Department has responsibility for assessing the effect of his Department's policies on the welfare of children.

Esther McVey: Each of the Department’s Ministers is responsible for assessing the effect of their policies on the welfare of children.

Employment Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times he has written to work programme providers or their representative body about the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011.

Esther McVey: It is not possible to separately identify the written correspondence from the Secretary of State, to work programme providers or their representative body about the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011 other than at disproportionate costs.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants were subject to sanctions in each county in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on JSA sanctions, including a range of geographical breakdowns is published and available at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	JSA claimant count data by geographical area are published and available at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

Occupational Pensions: Skipton

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of businesses in Skipton and Ripon constituency have not yet met their staging date for automatic enrolment for workplace pensions;
	(2)  how many businesses in Skipton and Ripon constituency will be issued with staging dates for automatic enrolment between 1 April 2014 and 1 April 2015.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested.
	This is because staging data are often based on details such as the address of an employer’s head office, or their admin hub. It therefore does not necessarily reflect where the workers are based e.g. an employer might have a head office in London but have staff based all over the country.
	The Pensions Regulator publishes monthly the volume of employers that have registered that they have met their duties along with the volume of workers automatically enrolled. As at 31 March 2014, 10,817 employers have registered with The Pensions Regulator that they have met the duties and enrolled more than 3.24 million workers.
	Further information can be found at:
	http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/automatic-enrolment-monthly-registration-report.pdf
	The Pensions Regulator estimates that there will be in the range of 30,000 to 35,000 employers across the UK commencing their automatic enrolment duties from 1 April 2014 to 1 April 2015. This is an approximate range; several factors affect these numbers. For example, an employer may bring their staging date forward, an employer may cease trading, or an employer who has a number of affiliated employers in their group may choose to stage them all in the same period.
	The Pensions Regulator has published a staging forecast which can be found at:
	http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/automatic-enrolment-employer-staging-forecast.pdf

Occupational Pensions: Skipton

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that the staging dates for automatic enrolment for workplace pensions are being effectively communicated to businesses in Skipton and Ripon constituency.

Steve Webb: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has responsibility for educating and enabling employers in order to maximise compliance. TPR is writing to employers 12 months and one month prior to their staging date to alert them to their new responsibilities.
	Where an employer provides an e-mail address to TPR they will also receive a series of e-mails informing them what stage they should be at and signposting guidance and tools that have been provided by the Regulator. This includes an interactive planning tool to assist employers in getting ready, a staging date tool to find out your staging date, and detailed guides. They have also established a customer support centre for employers to discuss any questions they may have.
	An advertising campaign aimed at employers has also been used to raise awareness and guide employers to the Regulator’s website to help them in their preparations.

Pensions: Females

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to increase understanding of pensions and retirement planning amongst women.

Steve Webb: The Department is taking a range of steps to address understanding of pensions and retirement planning, including amongst women.
	The DWP is working closely with the Money Advice Service (MAS), the government body with responsibility for improving the British public’s financial capability, including tackling the knowledge gaps which can inhibit individuals from saving into pensions.
	The Department is facilitating joint-working between its information services and those of The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS), which is playing an important role in supporting individuals who are automatically enrolled, and MAS. The DWP will also support MAS in increasing its reach, including through contact channels with DWP customers.
	As part of automatic enrolment, to encourage women to continue to save in a workplace pension we are running an awareness campaign with supporting information that emphasises the importance of saving for retirement and outlines the benefits of saving in a workplace pension. This reaches women via the use of appropriate media channels and by working in partnership with trusted brands.
	We are creating a simpler state pension so that everybody can know both what counts towards their state pension and how much they can expect to receive. We will take account of the different ways in which men and women are affected by the reforms in our communications approach. Our strategy includes using partnerships with media outlets most likely to reach these women to make them aware of the changes. We will evaluate the impact of our communications to make sure we are reaching women to increase their awareness and understanding.

Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The Green Book and associated supplementary guidance is publicly available on the Treasury website. It sets out a range of approaches and methods that may be appropriate in a number of different appraisal circumstances.

Remploy

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what happens to a Remploy worker personal budget if the full amount is not used by the individual within 18 months.

Michael Penning: Personal budgets are an important part of the £8 million People Help and Support Package (PHSP) which was not available for those affected by the 2008 Modernisation Plan. Personal budgets provide additional support where other sources of funding are unavailable.
	There is no specific funding allocation for personal budgets within the £8 million PHSP package and the budget for each former Remploy disabled employee is allocated based on individual need.
	We anticipate that all funding for the PHSP package will be utilised by the time the last People Help and Support Package period is completed.
	Latest figures as of 18 April 2014 show 1,516 disabled former Remploy workers have chosen to work with our Personal Case Workers to find another job and 727 are in work.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to make it easier to report benefit fraud allegations.

Esther McVey: The public can report benefit fraud by telephoning the National Benefit Fraud Hotline which is a confidential free phone service that anyone can use anonymously to report their suspicions. The service is widely used handling over 350,000 referrals in 2013/14. Alternatively an allegation can be made using an online facility, by letter, or by telephoning a Jobcentre Plus office.
	We recently ran a communications campaign pilot to test the effectiveness of communications in reducing fraud and error and we are looking to expand this activity. Our communication campaign aims to challenge and change attitudes and behaviours towards benefit fraud. This includes improving awareness of the need for claimants to report changes in their circumstances and encouraging the general public to report potential benefit fraud.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 103-4W, on state retirement pensions, if he will assess whether a woman born on 6 April 1981 who was in continuous employment from her 21st birthday until her state pension age as derived in line with the practice outlined in the Pensions Bill, had worked consistently in contracted-in employment for 30 hours a week in a role which paid the national minimum wage, had average female life expectancy, in line with the most recent ONS population projections, and was subject to any other assumptions used in the impact assessment which accompanied the Pensions Bill, would receive a different level of pension at the point of retirement under the single tier mechanism than they would have expected under the current pension system; and what the difference in the level of pension would be.

Steve Webb: The state pension reforms radically simplify state pension provision, by replacing the current, two-tiered pension system with a simpler single-tier state pension for people reaching state pension age after 6 April 2016.
	The majority of people reaching state pension age in the 40 years after the new state pension is implemented will have a higher pension income overall over the course of their retirement as a result of the reforms. The new state pension will also underpin automatic enrolment, which will see around 9 million people saving more, or saving for the first time, into a workplace pension.
	The Pensions Bill provides for the Government to carry out a review of state pension age every Parliament. It is our intention that state pension ages will only be finalised once someone is within 10 years of their proposed state pension age. Because this date will be affected by future changes in longevity, at this point we cannot say with certainty what will be the state pension age for people born in the 1980s. In addition, any calculation on pension entitlement would also depend on decisions that have not yet been taken, including the starting rate for the single tier. Furthermore, future state pension levels are determined by up-rating decisions taken by Governments on a year-by-year basis. Therefore, while we have forecast the possible impacts of the new system at a population level, it is not possible to give definitive statements of the future state pension entitlements for individuals who do not yet have a set state pension age, whether under the current system or under the single-tier-pension.
	For the first few cohorts of people reaching state pension age from April 2016, the Government will provide a statement service to help them plan for retirement.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Advertising

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give the Advertising Standards Agency the power to fine advertisers for serious breaches of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom already has the power to fine advertisers for serious breaches of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising. The ASA is responsible for administering the Code of Broadcast Advertising, but is able to refer broadcasters to Ofcom for further action, including imposing fines, if needed. There are no plans to change this system.

Consultants

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 145W on consultants, how much spending on consultancy was spent on (a) Olympic delivery, (b) the broadband delivery programme and (c) other consultancy spending.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS has spent the following amounts on consultancy services since 2010-11:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Financial year 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Cost Directly Related to The Olympics 101,712 103,293 92,753 — 
			 BDUK Consultancy Costs — 2,041,495 3,983,283 3,304,915 
			 Other Consultancy 247,860 133,771 297,835 109,536 
			 Total 349,572 2,278,559 4,373,871 3,414,451 
		
	
	The figures for 2013-14 are currently unaudited. The figures now include the expenditure on external legal advice related to programme support, but excludes spending on legal services from the Treasury Solicitor and the providers of recruitment services. This has been done in order to arrive at figures that more directly relate to the providers of consultancy.

Heritage Lottery Fund

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 311W, on public expenditure, what the (a) actual 2010-11 income and (b) projected 2015-16 income is for the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Edward Vaizey: In 2010-11, the Heritage Lottery Fund’s net income from the national lottery (after its contribution to the Olympics had been deducted) was £217 million. Based on the current level of ticket sales, HLF income from the lottery in 2015-16 is estimated to be £360 million.

Museums and Galleries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many paintings, artefacts and other objects were lent from the collections of grant-in-aid funded national museums and galleries to other grant-in-aid funded national museums and galleries in each year since 2010-11;
	(2)  how many paintings, artefacts and other objects were lent from the collections of grant-in-aid funded national museums and galleries to regional museums and galleries in each year since 2010-11.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has collected and published the following data about the number of venues in the United Kingdom to which the sponsored national museums have lent objects from their collections.
	
		
			 Number of UK loan venues 
			 Institution 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 British Museum 178 162 169 
			 Imperial War Museum 90 376 104 
			 National Gallery 17 35 35 
			 National Maritime Museum 71 74 81 
			 National Museums Liverpool 193 228 239 
			 Science Museum Group1 164 185 240 
			 National Portrait Gallery 133 118 118 
			 Natural History Museum 182 131 32 
			 Royal Armouries 107 106 120 
			 Sir John Soane's Museum 7 3 4 
			 Tate Gallery 153 147 128 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 241 262 242 
			 Wallace Collection2 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1 From 2011-12, the total includes figures for the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, following its merger with the Science Museum Group. 2 The Wallace Collection cannot lend items under terms of its bequest.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether the Government of Burma plans to open a country office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in that country.

Hugo Swire: It has been over 18 months since President Thein Sein committed to opening an in-country Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This would allow for more constructive relations between the international community and the Government on human rights. Most recently, the British ambassador raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister on 31 March. We continue to call on the Government to publish a timeline for the opening of the Office, with a mandate that includes monitoring and technical assistance.

Burma

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by the Burmese Government to (a) prevent sexual violence and (b) end impunity for sexual offences allegedly committed by the Burmese military.

Hugo Swire: During his visit to the UK last year, President Thein Sein welcomed the initiative of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on preventing sexual violence in conflict (PSVI). We continue to encourage Burma to join 146 nations and endorse the declaration on PSVI. The launch in October 2013 of the Burmese Government’s National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (NSPAW) committed Burma
	“to develop and strengthen laws, systems, structures and practices to eliminate all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls and to respond to the needs of women and girls affected by violence”.
	We are clear, however, that all of these steps need to be accompanied by actions leading to real progress in Burma. We remain concerned by continued reports of sexual violence against women, including reports of crimes committed by members of the Burmese military. We regularly lobby the Burmese Government on the rights of women, particularly on preventing sexual violence in conflict areas. We continue to make clear that where serious crimes have been committed, those who have perpetrated them should be held accountable for their actions. I raised the issue of sexual violence directly with senior Ministers, the commander in chief and the northern commander during my visit to Burma in January. More recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised the issue in a call with the Burmese Foreign Minister on 28 April.

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reasons the Government received from the Chinese Government for the cancellation of the UK-China human rights dialogue in April 2014; and when the Government were informed of that cancellation.

Hugo Swire: The dialogue was originally scheduled for 15-16 April, but China informed us of its decision to postpone on 7 April. An open exchange of views on human rights is in the interests of both sides, and is an important part of our bilateral relationship. We are working with the Chinese Government to reschedule the dialogue as soon as possible.

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the next UK-China human rights dialogue to take place.

Hugo Swire: We consider the human rights dialogue to be an important part of our bilateral relationship with China. We are working with the Chinese Government to reschedule the dialogue as soon as possible.

Commonwealth

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the export and trade promotion work of UK Trade and Investment is focused on Commonwealth countries.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has a presence in 23 Commonwealth markets, accounting for approximately 21% of UKTI overseas headcount.

United Nations

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the UK contributed towards the funding of the United Nations and International Monetary Fund in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013.

David Lidington: The UK makes numerous contributions to the many different parts of the UN system and UN-led activities. Payments come from a wide range of British Government Departments. Our two largest assessed, or mandatory, payments are for the UN Regular Budget and the UN Peacekeeping Budget.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) pays the UK’s share of the UN Regular Budget, which covers core UN Secretariat costs and the UN’s political activities. During the last three calendar years, the UK made assessed contributions to the UN Regular Budget in US dollars as follows:
	
		
			  $ million 
			 2011 155.3 
			 2012 156.1 
			 2013 132.0 
		
	
	The UN Peacekeeping Budget follows the UN’s financial year (July to June). The UK’s assessed contributions in the last four UN financial years in US dollars is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  $ million 
			 2010-11 602.8 
			 2011-12 576.4 
			 2012-13 477.1 
			 2013-14 476.6 
		
	
	The UK, typically through the relevant lead Whitehall Department in the appropriate field, also makes many other substantial payments into the UN system. For UN specialised agencies, these are mostly voluntary contributions, with some assessed contributions e.g. for core costs. Additionally, there are many significant voluntary contributions to UN funds and programmes and other UN bodies depending on how they support UK objectives and priorities. The Department for International Development is the largest contributor of voluntary funding, of all British Government Departments.
	The UK does not have an annual subscription to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and does not contribute to its administration costs. These are financed out of the IMF’s own revenue. As per the annual accounts of the National Loan Fund, published to Parliament, the Government’s quota subscription and lending to the IMF at the end of each financial year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ million 
			 As at 31 March each year Quota Lending Total 
			 2011 10,581 1,109 11,690 
			 2012 10,391 2,030 12,421 
			 2013 10,638 2,320 12,958

Uzbekistan

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made any recent representations to the Government of Uzbekistan regarding the imprisonment of the journalist, Salidzhon Abdurakhmanov.

David Lidington: We, along with our European partners, have raised the case of Mr Abdurakhmanov with the Uzbek authorities at ministerial and official level on several occasions. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, raised this issue with the Uzbek Foreign Minister when he visited London last November. Our embassy in Tashkent is in contact with the Uzbek human rights organisation, Ezgulik, which visited Mr Abdurakhmanov in custody in January. Baroness Warsi discussed a range of human rights issues, including freedom of expression, with Ministers and senior officials when she visited Uzbekistan earlier this month.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reporting has consistently highlighted our concerns about freedom of the press and harassment of journalists in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan remains on the list of Countries of Concern in the FCO’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, reflecting long-standing concerns about the overall human rights situation in Uzbekistan. Our embassy in Tashkent regularly raises these issues with the Uzbek authorities and funds projects that support good governance and human rights. We also continue to encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Mortgages

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that mortgage lenders are aware of the Armed Forces Help to Buy scheme.

Philip Dunne: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in September 2013, the Forces Help to Buy scheme was launched on 1 April 2014. The Department has worked closely with the Council of Mortgage Lenders throughout the development and roll-out of the scheme. There have also been consultations with a range of other bodies, such as the Building Societies Association, the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries and the Financial Conduct Authority, as well as with individual mortgage lenders.

Military Decorations

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military medals have received Royal approval following the Honours and Decorations Committee meeting in January 2014.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of Cabinet Office.
	An announcement will be made once the full set of reviews is complete and has been approved.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Fisheries

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions on IUU fishing took place at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels on 24 March 2014.

George Eustice: The Council of Ministers on 24 March agreed to list Belize, Guinea and Cambodia as non-cooperating third countries, acting insufficiently in fighting against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Under the EU IUU Regulation, any imports into the EU of any fisheries products caught by these flag state vessels will be banned. In addition, Ministers discussed the proposed review of the IUU Regulation and the Commission confirmed its intention to undertake the review next year.

Litter

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of programmes in the UK and other EU countries which aim to reduce litter; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The Government have not carried out any comparative assessment of the performance of litter reduction programmes in the UK and the rest of the EU.

Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The Green Book and associated supplementary guidance is publicly available on the Treasury website. It sets out a range of approaches and methods that may be appropriate in a number of different appraisal circumstances.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services: East Midlands

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much grant his Department has supplied (a) in cash terms and (b) in real terms in 2010 prices to the East Midlands Ambulance Service in each financial year since 2010-11.

Daniel Poulter: National health service trusts do not receive funding directly from the Department of Health. In contrast to primary care trusts (PCTs) (and now NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)), NHS trusts are not funded directly by the Secretary of State, from sums voted by Parliament.
	NHS trusts are semi-autonomous organisations whose income derives from the provision of services, formerly to PCTs, now to NHS England and CCGs, through what might be described as trading activity.
	The NHS trust regime has similarities to the regime for Government Trading Funds, where expenditure for Government activity is met from income from third parties, rather than direct funding from resources voted to the Department.
	The following table, taken directly from East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust year-end accounts, summarises the income received in the year 2010-11 to 2012-13.
	
		
			 1. In cash terms: Nominal Value Per Annual Accounts 
			 £000 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Revenue From Patient Care Activities    
			 Strategic Health Authorities 979 0 0 
			 NHS Trusts 386 90 691 
			 Primary Care Trusts—Non Tariff 153,962 163,414 147,698 
			 Foundation Trusts 425 439 104 
			 Department of Health 3,510 93 748 
			 Non-NHS: Other 741 1,156 574 
			 Total Revenue from Patient Care Activities 160,003 165,192 149,815 
			     
			 Other Operating Revenue:    
			 Recoveries in respect employee benefits 0 386 298 
			 Education, Training and Research 269 1,532 1,541 
			 Receipt of grants/donations for capital acquisitions 51 0 0 
			 Income generation 1,163 957 1,190 
			 Rental Revenue from Operating Leases 95 8 4 
			 Other Revenue 62 1,449 2,181 
			     
			 Total Other Operating Revenue 1,640 4,341 5,226 
			     
			 Total Operating Revenue 161,643 169,533 155,041 
		
	
	
		
			 2. In real terms: Restated at 2012-13 Prices 
			 £000 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Revenue From Patient Care Activities    
			 Strategic Health Authorities 1013 0 0 
			 NHS Trusts 399 91 691 
			 Primary Care Trusts—Non Tariff 159,259 165,297 147,698 
			 Foundation Trusts 440 444 104 
			 Department of Health 3,631 94 748 
			 Non-NHS: Other 766 1,169 574 
			 Total Revenue from Patient Care Activities 165,508 167,095 149,815 
			     
			 Other Operating Revenue    
			 Recoveries in respect employee benefits 0 390 298 
			 Education, Training and Research 278 1,550 1,541 
			 Receipt of grants/donations for capital acquisitions 53 0 0 
			 Income generation 1,203 968 1,190 
			 Rental Revenue from Operating Leases 98 8 4 
			 Other Revenue 64 1,466 2,181 
			     
			 Total Other Operating Revenue 1,696 4,382 5,214 
			     
			 Total Operating Revenue 167,204 171,477 155,029

Arthritis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on whether drinking milk reduces the development of arthritis.

Jane Ellison: Milk and dairy products, such as cheese and yoghurt, are good sources of protein and calcium.
	Public Health England does not hold and is not aware of data showing that drinking milk reduces the development of arthritis.
	Results from a recent study suggest that frequent milk consumption maybe associated with slowing the progression of knee osteoarthritis for women, but not for men. The study did not consider whether milk could reduce the development of arthritis in general, but examined a single aspect of osteoarthritis progression in the knee joint of people who already had the condition.
	An important limitation of this study is that it was observational. The slower progression of osteoarthritis observed in women who drank more milk could have been influenced by other factors.

Better Care Fund

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for changes in the geographic criteria for Better Care Fund submissions.

Norman Lamb: As set out in the NHS England Planning guidance published in December 2013, local councils and clinical commissioning groups must agree a Better Care Fund plan with its local health and wellbeing board.
	The requirement that Better Care Fund plans must align to the 151 health and wellbeing board areas has not changed since the Better Care Fund policy was announced following the 2013 spending review and the publication of the draft and final planning guidance.

Cancer

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the role of the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set in the assurance and planning process for cancer services and care.

Jane Ellison: The Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (CCG OIS) is a tool that supports commissioners to drive improvement and set priorities. The CCG OIS, together with a range of other measures, plays an important role in helping clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to understand: how local populations are engaging with local health services; what their outcomes are; and to identify priorities for improvement.
	The 2014-15 CCG OIS contains a range of indicators to support commissioners to understand key local issues in relation to cancer survival and early diagnosis including:
	Under 75 mortality rate from cancer;
	Cancer: diagnosis via emergency routes;
	Cancer: record of stage at diagnosis;
	Cancer: early detection;
	Lung cancer: record of stage at diagnosis; and
	Breast cancer: mortality.
	CCGs are autonomous organisations, whose strength lies in their clinical leadership and freedom to commission those services that deliver outcomes that are both clinically effective and cost effective for local populations.
	NHS England, through its local area teams, uses the CCG Assurance Framework to assess whether CCGs are meeting their statutory duty to deliver continuous overall improvement in the health outcomes of local populations. Integral to the assurance assessment is consideration of a range of timely indicators, quality metrics and other outcomes measures to make an overall assessment of progress towards delivering improved outcomes. This includes the CCG OIS.

Cancer

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to support NHS staff to deliver an improved experience of care for cancer patients.

Jane Ellison: Through the Mandate, we have asked NHS England to deliver continued improvements in relation to the experience of care, including cancer care, and Health Education England to ensure that current and future national health service and public health staff receive high quality education, training and development to enable them to deliver the highest possible quality of prevention and care for patients and the public now and in the future.
	NHS England's business plan focuses on the fundamental cultural change to put people at the centre of the NHS. In 2014-15 it is overseeing a programme to improve cancer patient experience and is currently undertaking a review of its insight programme and strategy. By working with NHS Improving Quality, Macmillan and other partners, with oversight from NHS England and the Cancer Patient Experience Advisory Group, improvements will be made at provider level. In particular, the cancer patient experience survey will be a key tool to deliver this.
	This month, NHS England is introducing the Staff Friends and Family Test for all NHS trusts in England, as research shows the strong link between levels of staff engagement and quality of patient experience.
	Health Education England, as the national leadership body for education, training and development of the health work force will ensure that the right numbers of health professionals are trained—with the right skills and behaviours—to support delivery of high quality service and health improvement across England.
	The response to the Francis Inquiry sets out a wide range of measures to create a culture of openness where staff are supported to deliver compassionate care and improve patient safety. For example, 10,000 nurses and midwives will have taken part in a new leadership programme by April 2015 which is focused on championing compassionate, patient-centred care.

Cancer

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that patients have access to continuous innovation in oncology after the Cancer Drugs Fund expires in 2016. [R]

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the Cancer Drug Fund beyond 2016.

Norman Lamb: We have committed to continuing the Cancer Drugs Fund until the end of March 2016. We will consider carefully with NHS England how, in the longer term, we can support patients in accessing the cancer drugs that could benefit them at a cost that represents value to the national health service.

Cancer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 33-4W, on cancer, how many GPs have completed the four modules of the online learning tool for GPs on late diagnosis.

Jane Ellison: The requested information is not centrally collected.
	However, evaluation reports provided by British Medical Journal Learning throughout 2013 included information on total number of users who accessed the online learning modules and a breakdown of users by profession. The information is presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Total number of users who access the e-learning modules and breakdown of users by profession 
			 BMJ Learning online tool Date report received Total number of users Users who categorised themselves as doctor/physician Users who categorised themselves as GP (principal/partner; salaried/non-principal/locum) 
			 Module 1: Tackling late diagnosis of cancer May 2013 1,568 1,046 621 
			      
			 Module 2a: Diagnosing osteosarcoma and brain tumours in children August 2013 298 152 68 
			      
			 Module 2b: Diagnosing osteosarcoma and brain tumours in children— communication skills September 2013 390 203 92 
			      
			 Module 3: Risk assessment tools November 2013 1,463 1,263 475 
			 Module 4: Cancer Pathway and the role of primary care November 2013 1,507 1,350 596 
			 Notes: 1. Users are able to choose more than one ‘category' when registering, so number by profession may be greater than the total number of users. 2. Most relevant categories of profession have been extracted from the report for this question.

Cancer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 33-34W, on cancer, when he expects the updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines to be published.

Norman Lamb: We understand that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence currently expects to issue its updated clinical guideline on suspected cancer in May 2015. Further information can be found at:
	http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG/Wave0/618

Cerebral Palsy

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on a clinical guideline for cerebral palsy.

Norman Lamb: The Department has asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop a clinical guideline on cerebral palsy. We have had no recent discussions with NICE on this topic.

Cystic Fibrosis

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust's reported entitled, Hope for more: Improving access to lung transplantation and care for people with cystic fibrosis in respect of the donor lung utilisation rate for transplantation; what measures his Department has identified as having the greatest potential to increased utilisation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the psychological support available to people with cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the current arrangements for donor lung allocation for people with cystic fibrosis.

Jane Ellison: At present, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) allocates donated deceased lungs to designated transplant centres on a zonal basis, and the centre is responsible for selecting the patient. The transplant surgeon will use their clinical knowledge to assess both the donor lungs and potential recipients to find the best match, based on aspects such as the risks associated with the lungs and the severity of the patient's condition. The current lung allocation system is monitored closely to ensure there is equity for patients across the United Kingdom. NHSBT continue to consider practical steps within the current system which could improve patient outcomes.
	The Cardiothoracic Organs Advisory Group, part of NHSBT, is presently reviewing the current approach focusing on equity and better outcomes for patients. Any recommendations to change allocation policy will be considered by NHSBT, who will check to ensure that they meet the aims of the allocation system and that they have the support of transplant stakeholders before making any changes.
	Decisions about psychosocial support available to people with cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation are a matter for clinicians and commissioners when drawing up the provision of care services for patients.

Dementia

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people with dementia in each county are aged (a) under 65, (b) 65 to 80 and (c) over 80.

Norman Lamb: Information on proportions of people with dementia in each county by age is not collected centrally. Information is only available on the total number of people with a diagnosis of dementia.
	The latest information is for 2012-13 and sub-national information is only available by region, area team and Clinical Commissioning Group. Information by region and area team is provided in the following tables. Information by Clinical Commissioning Group has been placed in the Library.
	
		
			 Number of patients recorded on the dementia register and the prevalence of dementia in England, by region, 2012-13 
			 Region name Number of practices Sum of list sizes Sum of dementia register Dementia prevalence (percentage) 
			 England 8,020 56,012,096 318,669 0.6 
			 North of England 2,421 15,755,955 98,768 0.6 
			 Midlands and East of England 2,358 16,881,964 96,274 0.6 
			 London 1,447 9,048,148 33,333 0.4 
			 South of England 1,794 14,326,029 90,294 0.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of patients recorded on the dementia register and the prevalence of dementia in England, by area team, 2012-13 
			 Area team name Number of practices Sum of list sizes Sum of dementia register Dementia prevalence (percentage) 
			 England 8,020 56,012,096 318,669 0.6 
			 Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral 175 1,275,943 8,018 0.6 
			 Durham, Darlington and Tees 173 1,226,515 7,931 0.6 
			 Greater Manchester 505 2,859,568 15,833 0.6 
			 Lancashire 235 1,520,393 9,655 0.6 
			 Merseyside 233 1,256,584 7,967 0.6 
			 Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 309 1,994,177 14,351 0.7 
			 North Yorkshire and Humber 238 1,681,137 10,377 0.6 
			 South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw 218 1,507,346 10,511 0.7 
			 West Yorkshire 335 2,434,292 14,125 0.6 
			 Arden, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 231 1,691,537 9,814 0.6 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country 465 2,606,584 13,552 0.5 
			 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 280 2,047,022 12,952 0.6 
			 East Anglia 293 2,504,379 15,848 0.6 
			 Essex 277 1,803,323 10,034 0.6 
			 Hertfordshire and The South Midlands 317 2,815,422 13,905 0.5 
			 Leicestershire and Lincolnshire 249 1,822,762 10,887 0.6 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 246 1,590,935 9,282 0.6 
			 London 1,447 9,048,148 33,333 0.4 
			 Bath, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire 198 1,516,722 9,196 0.6 
			 Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset and South Gloucs. 183 1,503,476 9,618 0.6 
			 Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 233 1,747,006 12,719 0.7 
			 Kent and Medway 266 1,790,801 9,693 0.5 
			 Surrey and Sussex 339 2,810,307 18,677 0.7 
			 Thames Valley 246 2,169,479 10,716 0.5 
			 Wessex 329 2,788,238 19,675 0.7

Drugs: Side Effects

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of deaths caused by adverse reactions to prescribed drugs in each of the last four years.

Norman Lamb: Reports of ‘suspected’ adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme: the Yellow Card scheme. The scheme collects ADR reports from across the whole United Kingdom and includes all medicines, including those from prescriptions, over-the-counter or general retail sales. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.
	The following table provides a breakdown of the total number of UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports received by the MHRA during the last four years with a fatal outcome.
	
		
			  Number of reports 
			 2010 1,478 
			 2011 1,872 
			 2012 1,568 
			 2013 1,604 
		
	
	It should be noted that these data represent all UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports with a fatal outcome received through the Yellow Card scheme. The data cannot be stratified according to licensed or unlicensed medicines.

Epilepsy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 38W, on epilepsy, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department had before 1 January to discuss the removal of pre-conception counselling for women taking anti-epilepsy medications from the Quality and Outcomes Framework; and how many such meetings were with Sanofi.

Norman Lamb: There have been no meetings involving Ministers or officials with Sanofi on the removal of the indicator in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) regarding pre-conception counselling for women taking anti-epilepsy medications.
	The changes to the QOF are part of a wide ranging set of changes to the general practitioner (GP) contract for 2014-15. It is intended that these contract changes will encourage GPs and their practice teams to provide more personalised and proactive care for patients.
	Changes to the QOF were negotiated with the General Practitioners Committee, which is part of the British Medical Association.

Food: Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the prevalence of food fraud in restaurants and food outlets.

Jane Ellison: There has been no specific assessment made of overall levels of food fraud in United Kingdom food outlets.
	Sampling data held centrally by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) indicate that for 2013, the overall non-compliance rate for local authority testing for all meat substitution was 13.5% from the 4,052 samples. The FSA is looking at whether any co-ordinated action is needed in response to these findings, though these figures should not be considered as constituting a likely assessment of levels of fraud as non-compliance can be for a range of reasons, of which fraud may be one.
	Local authority sampling is generally targeted towards areas where they expect to find problems and therefore levels of non-compliance tend to be higher than would be expected for randomised surveys of foods of the market.
	Food authenticity and food adulteration issues have been prioritised as part of the FSA co-ordinated programme of food sampling carried out by local authorities. In cases of non-compliance, enforcement is carried out by local authority enforcement officers, and where food fraud is suspected, this information will be passed on to the FSA.
	The FSA has encouraged a greater level of reporting of suspected food fraud, and this is reflected in the increased number of intelligence reports received. Since 2007, the amount of intelligence received and inputted on to the food fraud database has risen from 49 reports in 2007 to 1,538 in 2013. However, this does not necessarily indicate an increase in the level of food fraud, but does demonstrate an increase in the reporting of suspected issues.

Food: Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to improve co-ordination on food standards enforcement across local authority areas;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to promote best practice in food standards enforcement across the UK.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the central competent authority for food safety, but the majority of food law enforcement is delegated to local authorities throughout the United Kingdom. Local authorities (LAs) carry out checks of all food businesses in their area to ensure compliance with food safety/traceability and labelling requirements.
	The FSA monitors and audits local authority enforcement of food standards. When areas of best practice are identified, the agency promotes them to LAs by various means, which help support a consistent approach across enforcement authorities. These include: providing guidance and advice available online; updating courses within its comprehensive annual training programme for enforcement officers; and liaising directly with LAs through the regional team who disseminate key messages from the FSA.
	Measures to co-ordinate food standards enforcement across LAs are kept under continual review by the FSA to improve effectiveness of delivery. In doing this, the FSA works closely with local authorities and trading standards professional bodies. The methods for co-ordination range from communication of guidance and direct support. Measures include funding of the UK-wide national co-ordinated food sampling programme, fighting funds to local authorities taking enforcement action on issues of national interest and the support of expert enforcement advisory groups (on issues such as food standards and food fraud) that provide advice on consistent application of food standards law. It also includes the use of data and intelligence collected from local authorities when carrying out controls which can then be used to inform future enforcement.

General Practitioners

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received of clinical commissioning groups setting thresholds on the number of referrals by its GP practices; what assessment he has made of the prevalence of such a practice and its effect on early diagnosis of cancers; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Jane Ellison: Timeliness of diagnosis and treatment is what patients expect and remains essential to providing high quality care. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning local secondary care services for the population they serve. All practice referrals and prescribing rates are monitored and compared. The data from this exercise generally are used to inform a conversation between the practice and CCG about the issues faced by the practice. It is not possible to say that high referral rates are necessarily good or bad, but NHS England have advised that it is not normal for any CCG to create a ‘quota’ system for general practitioner (GP) referrals and we have no evidence to suggest thresholds are in place on the number of patients GPs can refer. It is important that conversations are held to test out whether practices are referring according to local and national guidelines, that they are making effective use of resources, and that they are having appropriate access to diagnostics and in-house advice.
	NHS England, through its area teams, uses the CCG assurance framework to assess whether CCGs are meeting their statutory duty to deliver continuous overall improvement in the health outcomes of local populations. Integral to the assurance assessment is consideration of a range of timely indicators, quality metrics and other outcome measures to make an overall assessment of progress towards delivering improved outcomes.

Hereditary Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on whether the genetic transmission of illness from parent to child can be prevented by medication.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have had no discussions with the Royal Colleges on whether the genetic transmission of illness from parent to child can be prevented by medication.
	The Government support good practice in informed choice for all patients or parents to aid prevention of serious illness or disease.

Jimmy Savile

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated by the NHS to fund compensation for victims of abuse by Jimmy Savile; and from which NHS budget such funding has been drawn.

Norman Lamb: No funding from national health service resources has been allocated to fund compensation for victims of abuse by Jimmy Savile. The claims handling co-ordination scheme announced on 22 April 2014, which has been approved by the High Court (claim no: HC13F00335), will, in the first instance, draw on the estate of Jimmy Savile to make payments to victims of abuse.
	If, in the future, the estate funds are exhausted, it is only then that claims may be funded from the public purse. The scheme covers claims which may arise in a variety of circumstances and is not restricted to alleged assaults on NHS premises.

Maternity Services

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new payment framework for maternity care in England; and what steps he has taken to ensure that this process provides sufficient income to providers to deliver his Department's objectives;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure that the tariff setting process for maternity services is sufficient to fund safe staffing levels in maternity units in England.

Daniel Poulter: The maternity pathway payment system was first mandated for use in 2013-14, and represents a significant change in the way that maternity services are reimbursed. Previously maternity services were paid for on a fee for service basis. Under the new payment system, activity is bundled into three pathways—antenatal, delivery and postnatal—each of which is paid separately.
	From 2014-15, national tariffs will be set by Monitor, but flexibility will continue to be allowed by the Department to address financial risks associated with implementing the new system. Provision for local modification to the national price, for example, where a local service is needed to ensure safe care, but would otherwise be non-viable, will also continue. Monitor and NHS England have jointly established a review process and will monitor how the new system is working. Amendments will be considered to address any perverse effects and minimise administrative burdens.
	In 2010, a costing exercise was undertaken to inform the tariff setting decisions and to set price levels to fund sufficient staffing levels in maternity units. A formal review of the maternity tariff post implementation is planned to take place later this year and will help to inform the 2016-17 tariff.

Medical Treatments

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review and consult on the methodology the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence uses to appraise medicines which are used in small patient populations; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) may assess medicines licensed for small patient populations through either its technology appraisal or its highly specialised technologies programmes. The size of the patient population is an important consideration in determining which programme a medicine is assessed under.
	NICE is responsible for the methods it uses to develop its guidance and periodically reviews its published methods for technology appraisal. NICE most recently reviewed its methods guide in 2012-13 and held a public consultation and a series of workshops with stakeholders as part of the process. NICE is currently holding a further consultation on its proposals for value assessment of health technologies, including new drugs.
	NICE is currently following an interim methods guide for its highly specialised technologies programme. We understand that NICE will be reviewing the methods guide later this year. As part of this review, there will be a full consultation.

NHS England

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department gives to chief officers of NHS England local area teams on responding to questions from hon. Members.

Jane Ellison: The Department and NHS England have an agreed protocol in place to ensure that timely and appropriate responses are provided by NHS England for its public and parliamentary accountabilities.
	The provision of specific guidance to its area teams is an operational matter for NHS England and we are informed that NHS England is committed to openness and transparency in its dealings with all correspondents, including hon. Members.
	NHS England is also committed to ensuring compliance with freedom of information, data protection and complaints legislation.

NHS: Public Appointments

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 524W, on NHS: public appointments, where data showing the gender of people appointed the boards of NHS Foundation trusts are held.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally. Information on the constitution of individual NHS foundation trust boards is available in the annual report of each foundation trust.

Pancreatic Cancer

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that all patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are assigned a clinical nurse specialist;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that dieticians are considered to be compulsory members of pancreatic cancer multidisciplinary teams that review patients.

Jane Ellison: Since 1 April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for delivering improvements in all cancer services.
	NHS England's pancreatic cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services. This guidance sets out that patients should have access to a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and a dietician as part of their multidisciplinary team to support them through the care pathway.
	As set out in the service specification, all patients with upper gastrointestinal disease, such as pancreatic cancer, are at risk of dietary problems and should have access to full dietetic in-patient and out-patient services. Dieticians should be available to see patients during regular out-patient clinics and available for consultation on ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings.
	While the recruitment of staff is a local matter, NHS England would expect trusts to consider the recruitment of staff such as dieticians and CNSs in developing their policies to improve patient experience.

Scarlet Fever

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of scarlet fever have been recorded in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Scarlet fever cases in England and Wales are collected as part of the statutory notifications of infectious diseases (NOIDs) and reports are based on a clinical diagnosis reported from a credible source.
	The following table shows the recorded cases of scarlet fever between 2008 and 2013:
	
		
			  Total scarlet fever notifications 
			 2008 2,920 
			 2009 4,176 
			 2010 2,969 
			 2011 2,719 
			 2012 4,253 
			 2013 4,607 
			 Notes: 1. All figures provided are for England and Wales. 2. Total scarlet fever notifications for each year between 2008 and 2012 in England and Wales are provided from the NOIDs annual report published in January 2014. The scarlet fever notifications for 2013 have not been published as an annual figure and have been derived from the NOIDs weekly reporting.

Speech Therapy

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps will be taken against health and wellbeing boards which fail to provide augmentative and alternative communication provision;
	(2)  pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Care and Support on 6 June 2013, whether NHS England’s projected spending on augmentative and alternative communication will be based on (a) historic spending levels and (b) identified need within each local area.

Norman Lamb: The projected activity levels and needs assessment for patients with complex needs requiring access to specialised augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services has been informed by the audit project undertaken jointly by the Department for Education and Sheffield university looking at provision of AAC services across the United Kingdom and ‘Two Years On’ the final report of the Communication Champion for Children Jean Gross CBE. This will inform NHS England’s agreement of contracts with those specialised providers for 2014-15. This work has been led by the NHS England AAC subgroup of the Complex Disability Equipment Clinical Reference Group.
	The commissioning responsibility for the commissioning of non-specialised AAC services remains the responsibility of individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England has no mandate to direct CCGs or health and wellbeing boards in relation to the provision of those non specialised services.

Transplant Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many operations for heart transplants have involved the use of genetically modified organs from (a) pigs and (b) cattle in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the average life expectancy is of people into whom genetically modified organs from (a) pigs and (b) cattle are transplanted.

Jane Ellison: Current United Kingdom organ transplantation programmes only use human organs donated in life or after death.

JUSTICE

Employment Agencies

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which five companies were used most often to provide temporary workers for his Department in the last financial year; and how much in agency fees was paid to each of them.

Shailesh Vara: Temporary staff can provide a fast, flexible and efficient way to obtain necessary skills that are not available in-house. They are only used for short term appointments where there is a strong business case, such as support for Transforming Rehabilitation and other major reform programmes within the MOJ.
	The Ministry of Justice has spent the following on the provision of service with (a) Capita, (b) Brook Street, (c) Hays PLC (d) Groupe Steria and (e) Certes Holdings in the financial year 2013-14. Spend is exclusive of VAT.
	
		
			 Financial year 2013-14 
			 Supplier £ 
			 Capita 26,411,523.67 
			 Brook Street 24,514,489.19 
			 Hays PLC 16,548,878.53 
			 Groupe Steria 3,000,763.31 
			 Certes Holdings 712,948.27 
		
	
	The approval process on expenditure has been tightened in recent years. All requirements over £20,000 must have departmental approval from the Director General of Finance.

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days were taken to process and grant each of the applications for remissions of employment tribunal fees that have been (a) granted and (b) partially granted.

Shailesh Vara: The guidance document published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) explains that remission applications will be processed within five working days of the date that they are received, and that appeals will be determined within 10 days. The latest available information collated by HMCTS staff indicates that the applications received in respect of employment tribunal matters are currently determined within three working days. Appeals in respect of employment tribunal remissions decisions are currently determined within nine days.
	However, data on the time taken for each one of the remission applications determined so far are not readily available. To obtain that data would require significant work to interrogate the relevant HMCTS case management database. This work, if undertaken for the purposes of answering this question, would incur disproportionate cost.

Offences against Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women have been convicted of child sex offences in each of the last three years.

Simon Hughes: The proportion of offenders given custody for sexual offences has increased since 2003.
	The number of female defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty or not guilty at all courts for sexual offences against children, in England and Wales from 2008 to 2012 (the latest data available), can be viewed in the following tables.
	Court proceedings data for calendar year 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.
	Charging data are not held by the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			 Female defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced for sexual offences against children1, England and Wales, 2008-122,3 
			 Outcome 20084 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Proceeded against 31 43 42 46 50 
			 Found guilty 15 22 24 24 34 
			 Conviction ratio (%) 48 51 57 52 68 
			 Sentenced 15 22 24 24 33 
			 Of which:      
			 Immediate custody 8 11 12 13 21 
			 Average custodial sentence length (months) 40.5 36.2 26.1 54.6 40.8 
			       
			 Custody rate5 53 50 50 54 64 
			 1 Includes sexual offences against a child where the age of the victim has been recognised: Sexual Offences Act 2003, s1, s5, s6, s7, s8, s9, s10, s11, s12, s14, s15, s16, s17, s18, s19, s25, s26, s47, s48, s49, s50; Criminal Justice Act 1988, s160; Protection of Children Act 1978, s1; Indecency with Children Act 1960, s1; Sexual Offences Act 1956, s28. 2 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 4 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. 5 Conviction ratio is calculated as the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of proceedings. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			 Female defendants found not guilty1 of sexual offences against children2, England and Wales, 2008-123,4 
			  Number 
			 20085 17 
			 2009 14 
			 2010 19 
			 2011 19 
			 2012 21 
			 1 Includes cases where proceedings discontinued, discharged, withdrawn, dismissed at all courts and, at Crown courts only, defendants not tried and acquitted. The number found guilty and found not guilty in a year can be greater than the number proceeded against in that year if they include cases from previous years. 2 Includes sexual offences against a child where the age of the victim has been recognised: Sexual Offences Act 2003, s1, s5, s6, s7, s8, s9, s10, s11, s12, s14, s15, s16, s17, s18, s19, s25, s26, s47, s48, s49, s50; Criminal Justice Act 1988, s160. 3 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 4 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 5 Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Radicalism

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in each prison have refused to take part in the Ibaana programme since it was first introduced.

Jeremy Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 28 April 2014, Official Report, column 617W.

Prisoners: Solitary Confinement

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were kept in solitary confinement at (a) HMP Lincoln and (b) nationally in each month of each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: In instances where prisoners are removed from normal location they are not left in isolation for extended periods of time and are never, therefore, held in conditions of solitary confinement.
	Prisoners may be held in segregation for reasons of good order and discipline or for their own protection. They may also be segregated to await adjudication or as a punishment of cellular confinement for offences against prison discipline. Prisoners are only segregated where it is proportionate to the risk posed by or to the prisoner in question and where there are no practical alternatives. Segregation is only in circumstances that are lawful, safe and decent.
	Figures for the number of prisoners held in segregation during the period specified are not recorded centrally and could be provided only by collating the relevant information from records held at (a) Lincoln prison and (b) all prisons. In either case this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Publications

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many books were bought by prisoners through the earned privileges scheme in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the number of books bought by prisoners is not held centrally and would need to be collated through inquiries at each prison in England and Wales. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under the Government's Transforming Rehabilitation proposals, what the outcome would be if one of the tier one providers in the Community Rehabilitation Companies under Transforming Rehabilitation was to (a) go into receivership and (b) be taken over by another organisation which failed to meet the Government's suitability criteria.

Jeremy Wright: We have a robust and diverse market. During the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) stage of the competition, we tested providers rigorously against a number of criteria, including Economic and Financial Standing, to determine Potential Bidders’ ability to fund a proposed contract. In mid December 2013, the bidders who passed this eligibility test were announced. The list includes a mix of private and voluntary sector partnerships with more than 50 organisations represented – from charities experienced in tackling a range of issues affecting offenders, to small and large British businesses and experienced multinationals. All of these Tier One bidders have experience in working with offenders or across the wider Criminal Justice System.
	We do not anticipate supplier failure, but contracts will have the full range of remedies in the case of failure; up to and including contract termination in the case of insolvency, default or persistent breach. NOMS will be able to exercise step-in rights, for example in the case of a breach that materially affects the performance or services, and the NPS will ensure we retain this expertise in the public sector. The contract allows for discussions with another CRC provider to be brought in as provider of last resort in the event that the initial provider fails. No change of ownership may occur without the prior written consent of the Authority, and we would exercise those rights to ensure our stringent suitability criteria are met before the initial provider was taken over.

Secure Colleges

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met (i) G4S, (ii) Serco, (iii) Sodexo and (iv) any other private provider to discuss secure colleges in the last 18 months.

Jeremy Wright: All meetings with external organisations up until October 2013 are published by the Cabinet Office on the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications
	Details of meetings from October 2013 onwards will be published shortly.

Secure Colleges

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times he has discussed secure colleges with the (a) Secretary of State for Health and (b) Secretary of State for Education in the last 18 months.

Jeremy Wright: My right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and I are in regular contact with our counterparts at the Department for Health and Department of Education. Our officials are also working together closely to develop our plans.

Visits Abroad

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, his Department made in each year since 2010; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice has reduced the overall cost of air travel by almost half since 2009, and our total spend on all travel has fallen by more than 40% in the same period—a saving of more than £9 million.
	Furthermore, this year, the Secretary of State for Justice toughened up the rules to ban first and business class travel for Ministers and officials in the department other than in exceptional circumstances where this is required to meet business need.
	Overseas travel makes up a small proportion of the Department's overall travel requirement. Flights and travel by Eurostar are booked through our contracted supplier, and whilst the MOJ records data on transactions, it does not hold details of the cost or destination of individual trips centrally. The cost of breaking down all travel in the ways requested would be disproportionate, as managers across the Department would have to create a breakdown of every trip taken, itemised by the different kinds of expenditure.

TRANSPORT

Cycling

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the degree to which his Department has complied with the Public Sector Equality Duty with regard to disabled cyclists.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport considers equality issues in exercising its functions, to comply with the equality legislation and to ensure it understands how its activities will affect different people. While there is no requirement under the Equality Act to carry out equality impact assessment on cycling policy, the Department believes disabled cyclists should not be disadvantaged.
	To help local authorities develop infrastructure for cyclists, including disabled cyclists, the Department has produced guidance through Cycle Infrastructure Design (Local Transport Note 2/08). LTN 2/08 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-notes

Cycling

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) fatal and (b) serious injuries were suffered by (i) male and (ii) female cyclists in each of the last 10 years.

Robert Goodwill: The numbers of reported (a) fatal and (b) seriously injured male and female cyclist casualties in Great Britain for each of the last 10 years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Reported fatal or seriously injured cyclists by gender, GB: 2003-2012 
			  Number of casualties 
			  (a) Fatal (b) Serious 
			  (i)Male (ii)Female Total (i)Male (ii)Female Total 
			 2003 89 25 114 1,916 380 2,296 
			 2004 107 27 134 1,816 358 2,174 
			 2005 131 17 148 1,811 399 2,210 
			 2006 122 24 146 1,898 398 2,296 
			 2007 112 24 136 1,978 450 2,428 
			 2008 97 18 115 2,009 441 2,450 
			 2009 83 21 104 2,156 450 2,606 
			 2010 85 26 111 2,162 498 2,660 
			 2011 85 22 107 2,536 549 3,085 
			 2012 109 9 118 2,650 572 3,222 
		
	
	Data for 2013 will be available in June 2014.

Cycling: Greater London

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport West (Paul Flynn) of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 231W, on cycling: Greater London, how many (a) men and (b) women cyclists' in London suffered (i) fatal and (ii) serious injuries in each of the last 10 years.

Robert Goodwill: The numbers of reported (a) fatal and (b) seriously injured male and female cyclist casualties in Greater London for each of the last 10 years are shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Reported fatal and seriously injured cyclists by gender, Greater London 2003-2012 
			 Number of casualties 
			  Fatal Serious injuries 
			  (1)Male (2)Female Total (1)Male (2)Female Total 
			 2003 12 7 19 334 85 419 
			 2004 6 2 8 269 63 332 
			 2005 18 3 21 283 68 351 
			 2006 11 8 19 282 91 373 
			 2007 11 4 15 353 93 446 
			 2008 11 4 15 338 92 430 
			 2009 3 10 13 337 83 420 
		
	
	
		
			 2010 6 4 10 359 99 458 
			 2011 10 6 16 437 118 555 
			 2012 13 1 14 527 132 659 
		
	
	Data for 2013 will be available in June 2014.

Driving Under Influence: Drugs

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) patients, (b) healthcare professionals and (c) the general public understand the new drug driving offence.

Robert Goodwill: Paragraphs 10.2 and 10.3 of the summary of the responses to the consultation on the proposed drugs and their limits sets out the steps the Department proposes to take in communicating the new drug driving offence. The summary is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/drug-driving-proposed-regulations

Large Goods Vehicles: Taxation

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the HGV User Levy on UK businesses reliant on foreign hauliers for imports and exports.

Robert Goodwill: International road haulage is a competitive market, so it is unlikely that there are UK businesses reliant on foreign hauliers for imports and exports. In most cases, UK hauliers can compete for this business.
	The levy is paid by both UK and foreign hauliers. However while this means some increase in costs for foreign hauliers, costs for around nine out of 10 UK HGVs have not increased, as vehicle excise duty was reduced when the levy was introduced.
	A Tax Information and Impact Note was published on the Department for Transport website in October 2012:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/232294/hgv-charging-tax-information.pdf

Railways: East of England

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the amount of (a) net franchise payment and (b) revenue support is for the extension of the Greater Anglia franchise from July 2014 to October 2016.

Stephen Hammond: The net franchise premium payment contracted for the Greater Anglia Direct Award from July 2014 to October 2016 is circa £266 million payment to the Department for Transport. Premium is quoted in January 2014 price.
	There will be no revenue support for the Greater Anglia Direct Award from July 2014 to October 2016.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what formula is being used to distribute (a) the £185 million fund to help repair local roads damaged by severe weather announced and (b) the £200 million Challenge Fund announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2014 Budget Statement.

Robert Goodwill: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The distribution of the £185 million provided to help repair local roads damaged by severe weather is described in the following table:
	
		
			 Amount Funding allocation 
			 £70 million Formula based on road length (in miles) and the number of bridges (spanning over 1.5 metres) damaged by severe weather events in winter 2013/14. This was based on information supplied by affected English local highway authorities (outside of London) 
			 £93.5 million Formula based on local highway authority road length for English local highway authorities (outside of London). 
			 £10 million Lump sum provided to Transport for London to distribute amongst London local highway authorities. 
			 £10 million Lump sum provided to Somerset County Council to help implement some of the transport recommendations arising from the Somerset Levels and Moors Flood Action Plan. 
		
	
	(b) Funding formula for the £200 million Challenge Fund announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2014 budget statement:
	£32 million is being provided directly to the devolved Administrations as a result of the Barnett formula. It is a matter for the devolved Administrations how their shares of the funds are used.
	On 24 April 2014 English local highway authorities were in invited to bid for a share of a £168 million Pothole Fund to repair local roads.
	Local authorities wishing to apply for a share of the funding are required to submit an application to the Department for Transport by 22 May 2014. Details of the application are available to view via:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pothole-fund-2014-to-2015-application